The Pentagon. What a laugh. How many years has it been since they've done something right?

Unless Blackwater and the other contractors have signed new agreements to abide by the military code of conduct, this all means diddly-squat.

Greater oversight implies greater responsibility. I suspect what the Pentagon wants to controll more tightly is the the press and its reporting on the factual conditions which so often go counter to the military's position...y'know, more "enbedded" media...and that smile on their faces as the don their flak jackets and take off in a huge helicopter...cool...neato...and transparently pathetic.

There will be no control and the piece of paper is not worth the ink that is on it. Blackwater and all of the other contractors will continue to do what they want, when they want. Wonder if they will guard or new permanent bases in Iraq when they are done. Maybe the "terrorists" can kill them one by one instead of our soldiers. Blackwater should be left in Iraq and our soldiers withdrawn. Iraq is about oil and the MIC which are all privately owned corporations. Let the mercenaries work for the privates and get our troops the hell out of there. Since when does the US government guard installations for private industry. I guess since W took office and Cheney told him to do it.

Our Pentagon, White House, media, etc., have been overrun with PR/marketing flunkies. They live to sell the next commercial, or the next Big Lie, and are Proud to do so.
American capitalism has reached the stage of Lies=Truth, and War=Peace, etc. Ask not when 1984 will come to America, it's already here, dummies!

...and someday the Pentagon is going to implement an oversight program to try and reduce the number of innocent civilians it kills in Iraq and other countries around the world or at least to reduce the number of kills to the low hundreds instead of the many hundreds of thousands it is now responsible for! Publicists will of course see this as something very positive to wave the ol'flag about!

Big deal. As far as Pentagon oversight goes, we have seen that their little crackers can commit rape, torture and murder, sometimes on a grand scale, and the clowns running the show (such as Major General Mattis) are always there to make certain that the charges get reduced to "causing a disturbance" or "involuntary mischief", or some such bullsh*t. Nothing is going to change, as long as psychopaths are watching psychopaths.

I would invite all who read this, after you leave your comment to go to Rep. Conyers thread and leave a post on your feelings.
He is listening and all should write to him.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-conyers/setting-the-record-straig_b_75448.html

Strikes deal? What ever happened to the USA? If they don't behave, well then, use the money that our taxes went for, and blow them out of the way!

I am sure that the Iraqis see them as more American goons. There is no reason to have private contractors in Iraq. We have an entire army there.

All this serves to do is cause more trouble but somebody is making money and that is what this war is all about... making money, getting oil, reconstruction contracts, etc... it is a big fucking business scam paid for with Iraqi blood.

It may not be quite PC to refer to insurgents as freedom fighters but I think that if I were an Iraqi I would be outraged against the invasion and its outcome and would probably have my own RPG and look for an opp to use it.

My stepbrother did 200missions there, blown up twice, got a bronze star and is a Nat. Guardsman with three daughters - a pharmacist in Montana.

I feel for every soldier there and want them safe but I also feel for the Iraqi people who have to live with this bloody mess that was foisted on them by the Cheney Administration and a gutless Congress.

Its just plain awful and these assholes, Neoconmen, need to be brought to heel and held accountable and the Dems and Repubs who won't recant and get us the fuck out of there shouldn't continue to have the privilege to serve us.

I hope the mercenaries are treated with the same degree of humanity they show the Iraqis.

"The agreement was signed Wednesday at the Pentagon by Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England and Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte, whose department uses Blackwater to guard its diplomats. It spells out rules, standards and guidelines for the use of private security contractors." - about three years too late.

Will this prevent Blackwater and others from running amok in Iraq?