Hey, I said as a matter of LAW, I didn’t say as a matter of fact. These guys make those up as they go along

Those facts, those laws, or both?

During the Blackwater hearing when prosecution of the “war crimes act” was mentioned Erik Prince (after checking in with one of his attorney’s sitting behind him) announced that the Blackwater guards were acting as “individual contractors”.

How would “immunity” play out under this defintion of contractor?

Again, it depends on who authorized this “my statement will not be used aainst me” language. If it came from Only Blackwater itself???? If it was not authorized by State, how can the government be bound by the actions of a private company?
It depends whether the statement was taken in the presence of experienced defense counsel. It could depend on whether the statemetns were taken in Iraq or back here in the States.

The analysis of whether the statements were voluntary or taken under coercive circumstance will depend on specific facts, and we don’t have too many of those right now.

How would “immunity” play out under this defintion of contractor?

I thought from my reading that we were told at least generically that the FBI was investigating Blackwater since March, 2007–at least the Christmas 2006 murder of the Iraqi Vice President’s body guard at the Christmas party in the green zone. But maybe I’m being sloppy. I thought I had read that in the NY Times so maybe correctly you are pointing out that DOJ didn’t get in on the investigation of the shooting incident where 17 or so people were killed until 3 weeks ago. If that’s the case, I stand corrected but talk about “a mess.”

The fact that Congress had no clue or concern that Blackwater and the other mercenaries could cowboy and shoot without compunction or any regard to the harm it’s doing the military and American foreign policy is inexcusable.

The recent book on Blackwater is a real eye-opener.

I’d love to see them nail Eric Prince, but he reeks of Bush teflon.

Because Condi Rice is the quintessence of an imperious queen, (have you ever seen her say anything of substance at her rare appearances before any so called oversight committee–because I haven’t) there is all this contamminating crap that some of the commenters point out might be grist for a sound defense theory and certainly State didn’t expect any criminal investigations of Blackwater which is why they crafted loopholes for Blackwater, Triple Canopy, and Dyn Corp and Aegis big enough to drive an 18 wheeler through.

And don’t forget there have been a lot of DOJ personnel and AOC (Administrative Office of the Court personnel people like district court execs or district court clerks–I know several that have done stints in Iraq supposedly to help build a sound justice system there, and I believe they’ve failed miserably.

Rice has been a Bush insider long enough to understand that the mantra is “Screw any of them–we’re doing whatever we want and that’s not changing. We have thugs to guard us in a place where after 6 years we don’t go out on the street packing more heat than the Sopranos and if they have to spray and pray and kill people to clear our path so what? It doesn’t impact Condi’s shopping on the upper East side of Manhatten a bit. Or she could open some wine and play a sonata.

If there is an example of a more mismanaged agency than State and a more mismanaged platform than US foreign policy I don’t know what it is at this juncture.

If you’re a well informed Iraqi why wouldn’t you hate the US who basically has said “so what” Iraquis get killed by thugs from the US? They aren’t real people; they’re just throw aways and this engenders the same kind of unending hatred that you have going on on the West Bank with the continual cycle of Suicide bombers, and slum settlements and supressed education that is depicted so well in

Richard North Patterson’s latest book Exile

Note that when Queen Rice proposed sending State Department personnel to Iraq that the reaction from them is “I’m not going over there to get blown up.” Of course it’s okay with her and them if predominantly African
Americans from poor families, whites from poor families, and Hispanics and other minorities get blown up as well as Iraquis–that to the Patrician Bushies is no big deal and apparently to enough indifferent Americans that it’s going to continue for years and years and years and more years.

Just keep on hemorrhaging billions into secret Supplemental Budgets when the Texas midget asks for them.

Where is the US Attorney who is supposedly in charge of this investigation in all this?

Were they competent and not obfuscating there wouldn’t be any mention of immunity coming from State in this murder investigation.

Allegedly, and I mean allegedly because I’d qualify anything ever coming from the US Government, any agency or the West Wing with alledgedly the “F.B.I.” is investigating this. And if ever there was an example of dragging and more dragging and obfuscating this is it.

What US Attorney that you ever worked for who was serious about an investigation and knew what they were doing wouldn’t have tight control of this investigation and any alleged immunity that was ever mentioned? Why is there no comment whatsoever from the US attorney who is “assigned” to investigate this situation? Could it be that they are scared to death of the West Wing like many other US Attorneys functioning in this fiasco called DOJ?

What US Attorney that you know would ever have all this speculation and enigma enshrouded in a mystery surrounding any type of immunity in a murder investigation?

We all realize now that US Attorneys like Minnesota’s Finest Bible Quoting Rachel Kunjummen Paulose are a parody on the job of US Attorney who caused the serial reignation of veterans on her staff.

Assuming that the US Attorney wherever–Virginia? who is running this investigation is playing with half a deck why is there all this uncertainty surrounding this investigation.

It’s dragged out for almost a year, and raises the question as to how much DOJ the puppet of the West Wing is involved in the real obfuscation here.

How can you consider this investigation is serious or competent given the amount of time it’s taken?

I wouldn’t trust Bush DOJ as far as I could spit them in this or any other investigation or case.

Mukasey’s confirmation is a done deal. At Mukasey DOJ, a Blackwater investigation would languish into infinity. One more white haired white man ready to jump when Bush, Fielding, Cheney, Addington and the untold hundreds of liasons to DOJ say jump.

You can’t get a quote out of Chuckie Schumner these days on his darling Mukasey.

Soon Mukasey will be confirmed because the Bush dog dems on Senate Judiciary will vote for him. There aren’t enough no votes to stop Mukasey who should get CLE in water boarding by being strapped in a chair and see how many hours it takes Grandpa Mukasey to get the concept of waterboarding he says he doesn’t understand. Every hour Mukasey says he doesn’t understand what waterboarding is, the waterboarding can be repoeated however many hours it takes for him to comprenend it.

For whatever reason the US Attorney in Raleigh, North Carolina will obfuscate on the silencer investigation.

Why silencers? Easy. This whole administration is about silence and redaction. When Blackwater murders they like to get away quietly like the Capones and the Soprano agency i.e. State –i.e. Mamma Rice wants the murders done quietly. Silencers don’t make as much of a bang and Blackwater can get away faster before the bodies are discovered. That’s why they need silencers. For the same reason anyone uses a silencer.

On Tuesday, after their pro forma objections to wiretapping immunity roll over Arlen and roll over Pat and Senate Judiciary will sign off on Telco immunity as usual.