From the Washington Post:

IRAQ BANS SECURITY CONTRACTOR:
Blackwater Faulted In Baghdad Killings

"BAGHDAD, Sept. 17 -- The Iraqi government on Monday said it had revoked the license of Blackwater USA, an American security company involved in a shootout in Baghdad that killed at least nine people, raising questions over which nation should regulate tens of thousands of civilian hired guns operating in Iraq."

Get ready to hear a lot about Blackwater.

Blackwater is one of those unfortunate names that just seems to scream out dirty deeds done in the service of the darker side of government. Thus far, Blackwater has surfaced mainly among anti-war zealots as a line in the litany of mysterious but sinister elements linked to the war in Iraq.

Get ready to hear a lot more about Blackwater.

The Washington Post story in full here.

Thinking Out Loud:

I have not formed a fully developed opinion on Blackwater, as I have not spent much time reflecting on the private security firms employed in the theater. In fact, for years I have done my best to avoid this nagging question:

Why are we spending $10,000 per month per copy on individual hired guns, when we could spend one third of that on a United States Marine?

And:

In the Rumsfeldian rush to light and agile (and un-Vietnam-like troop numbers), did we paint ourselves into a corner in which we are paying way too much for personnel in addition to forfeiting military expertise and control?

Is this really the best way to do this thing?

Get ready to hear a lot about Blackwater.