In a 180 degree maneuver, Secretary of State Rice overhauled the policy of how diplomatic convoys are guarded in Iraq. No longer will her pets at Blackwater have the right to guard visitors alone as they speed through town. Public and Congressional pressure was so overwhelming that the most stubborn Administration of all time has agreed to a change that gives more authority to our troops and less to mercenary groups, particularly Blackwater.
From The Los Angeles Times:
Under Rice's order, all convoys will be accompanied by official monitors from the department's Diplomatic Security Bureau, and video cameras will be mounted in vehicles. In addition, radio communication will be recorded and will be archived along with the video and electronic tracking data so diplomats can better review Blackwater's performance.
The order marks a sharp reversal for Rice and the State Department, which for weeks has maintained it has adequate controls in place to monitor Blackwater contractors, who accompany U.S. diplomatic officials as they travel in Iraq.
As recently as last week, John D. Negroponte, the department's second-highest official and the former U.S. ambassador to Iraq, defended the embassy's oversight of Blackwater, saying the contractor operated under strict standards monitored with "close" supervision by State officials.
Of course the State Department denies that supervision was inadequate before, so this must all just be a grand coincidence that the change is occurring now. The Pentagon has been up in arms (no pun intended) about the mercenary groups and soldiers talk about them as no other. The problem has been that there is no accountability when things go wrong. Often when there is an "unfortunate" incident, the State Department has covered up the tracks of Blackwater and others, such as the case of Andrew Moonen, who killed an Iraqi bodyguard while being intoxicated.
Things are FUBAR in Iraq, but when there is enough of an outcry, little bits of progress can be made. Though if it took that much effort to have a bit of supervision of Blackwater, what will it take to get the hell out of Iraq?
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