Blackwater USA: Your Preferred PowerPoint Presentation Vendor Solution

Mark Manzetti claims in the New York Times that the Central Intelligence Agency hired Blackwater USA in 2004 to locate and kill top al Qaeda members. He backs this up by claiming that various alleged anonymous sources told him so.

But as an embarrassed CIA Director Leon Panetta was forced to admit, the program was little more than a PowerPoint presentation and a collection of ideas within the CIA. It never got off the ground, and was never operational.

What, then, did Blackwater actually do?

Manzetti's article certainly has an accusatory tone, but it doesn't seem to provide any evidence that they did anything at all, other than to give the reactionary left a reason to collectively freak out once more at the mention of Blackwater's name.

Posted by: Confederate Yankee at 03:39 PM

Comments

1 I formerly worked for Blackwater and took part in clandestine meetings with people from VP Cheney's office about compiling a domestic enemies list including several US attorneys that Karl Rove wanted taken out ... gotta go, Seymour Hersh is calling on my cell.

Posted by: Anonymous Source at August 20, 2009 05:20 PM (Ozmwi)

2 Part of the reason that I gave Bush the benefit of the doubt for as long as I did was because I was sure that we were hunting down terrorists and killing them on the spot. This only adds proof to my conviction that Bush was an inept bumbler.

Posted by: David at August 20, 2009 05:32 PM (K/uDH)

3 "But as an embarrassed CIA Director Leon Panetta was forced to admit, the program was little more than a PowerPoint presentation and a collection of ideas within the CIA. It never got off the ground, and was never operational." -- Because it appears they outsourced it to Blackwater so as to not break assassination laws that have been in place since Gerald Ford. It's not Manzetti that is accusing Blackwater of doing anything. It's the two former employees, the two "John Does" providing sworn testimony to the US Justice Department that are providing evidence to support the accusations that have yet to be made officially.

There is currently a Justice Department investigation with anticipated indictments expected as well as a Congressional probe.

I ask the question again -- why are these people still on the government's payroll?

Posted by: Lipiwitz at August 20, 2009 09:43 PM (OX5qU)

4 Blackwater killing terrorists is bad why????

Posted by: Capitalist Infidel at August 20, 2009 10:28 PM (MxQFN)

5 ....assassination laws since Ford? well that's just sacrosanct. Why is it okay to have our young men on the front lines going after al Qaeda et al and get blown up doing it, but it's not okay for some clandestine operation that may actually result in less casualties of enlisted men? Guess some people need killing to be a spectator sport like the old Roman days of persecuting Christians in public forums.

Posted by: Jayne at August 20, 2009 11:39 PM (dwIL0)

6 There is currently a Justice Department investigation with anticipated indictments expected as well as a Congressional probe.

I am sure Justice will pursue this allegation with all the fervor missing from convicting the New Black Panthers of voter intimidation. Or the fervor of finding more $$$ for the POTUS in pardons of political terrorist murderers.

As for a Congressional probe by Democrats, I would respect a Monty Python skit about that more than what that collection of depraved clowns would dream up regarding the Bush administration days.

Posted by: iconoclast at August 21, 2009 12:14 AM (uYj3Z)

7 "It's not Manzetti that is accusing Blackwater of doing anything. It's the two former employees, the two "John Does" providing sworn testimony to the US Justice Department that are providing evidence to support the accusations that have yet to be made officially."

Lipiwitz - On this secret program that Panetta embarrassed himself over? Really? Link please.

Posted by: daleyrocks at August 21, 2009 01:46 AM (3O5/e)

8 "Because it appears they outsourced it to Blackwater so as to not break assassination laws that have been in place since Gerald Ford."

Thank God that Lord Obama has cut out these greedy Blackwater middlemen and has gone directly to assassinating innocent women and children -- whoops, I mean "suspected terrorists" -- with Predator drones.

Posted by: Lipzfullofshitz at August 21, 2009 06:59 AM (sPIAv)

9 There is currently a Justice Department investigation with anticipated indictments expected as well as a Congressional probe.

Are you still anticipating the Karl Rove indictment, Lippy?

Posted by: Pablo at August 21, 2009 09:01 AM (yTndK)

10 Yet another behind-closed-doors proposition elevated to the level of actual policy solely to discredit someone (or out of sheer ignorance of how government works). How many of these do we have to endure?

Posted by: DoorHold at August 23, 2009 12:39 PM (uaXaj)






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