The Contractor Surge: Woah!

[laststeamtrain]

The Contractor Surge

8/12/08, 12:42 pm EST

Woah!:

A staggering 190,000 contractors were working in Iraq under U.S.-funded contracts as of early 2008 — far more than the 150,000 troops in the country. The $100B price tag for this shadow army of non-uniformed workers has accounted for 20% of the cost of the war, according to a new report from the Congressional Budget Office.

The coalition of the paid now outnumbers the few and the proud.
Tim Dickinson

http://www.rollingstone.com/nationalaffairs/index.php/2008/08/12/the-contractor-surge/

[99th_Monkey]

1. The mercencaries can kiss their "immunity" good-bye soon I hear. None too soon for me. ~nt~

[stillcool]

3. it's way more than mercenaries..

http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=PMC#List_of_PMCs
Military/Iraq Facilities
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/facility/iraq.htm

They're Staying in Iraq
by Kevin Zeese

The message is clear. Indeed, it's gigantic for all Iraqis, for the entire world to see. A 100 acre compound – ten times the size of the typical U.S. embassy, the size of 80 football fields, six times larger than the UN, the size of Vatican City. The US Embassy Compound, in the middle of Baghdad – the center for US domination of the Middle East and its resources.

The compound towers above the Tigris River like a modern fortress. It will have its own sources of power and water and sit in the heart of Baghdad. If there is any thought that the US is planning on leaving Iraq, the new embassy should make it clear "We're staying!"

Jacob Silberberg / AP
The swimming pool at Balad air base seen through the window of a Blackhawk helicopter in August.

[99th_Monkey]

5. Yes, for sure. That new US "Embassy" (AKA heavily armed massive fortress) isn't fooling anyone.

especially the Iraqis.

[Frustratedlady]

2. What did we get for that money?

They might as well have burned it. The actions I'm aware of are rape, troops killed in showers, buildings so poorly built they will probably be condemned, people killed for no reason...I don't have the stomach to remember all the atrocities these people committed in our name and on our dollar.

Did George get all his friends taken care of? Just wonderin'.

[aikoaiko]

4. Most of them are construction guys, cooks, janitors, truck drivers, it guys. etc

Last I heard only 30k were armed.

[spanone]

6. bu$hco opened the spigots and our money has run like water

and no one will be held accountable