Blackwater blamed for guard deaths

To my mind, the name Henry Waxman should send cold chills down many people's spines. He's a badger who will pursue people until he's satisfied. Once he grabs onto you, he won't let go.

Ah, if only other Congress critters had the balls Waxman has...

Blackwater USA triggered a major battle in the Iraq war in 2004 by sending an unprepared team of guards into an insurgent stronghold, a move that led to their horrific deaths and a violent response by U.S. forces, says a congressional investigation released Thursday.

The private security company, one of the largest working in Iraq and under scrutiny for how it operates, also is faulted for initially insisting its guards were properly prepared and equipped. It is also accused of impeding the inquiry by the Democratic staff of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.

The results of the staff inquiry come less than a week before Erik Prince, a former Navy SEAL and Blackwater's founder, is scheduled to testify before the committee, which is chaired by Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., a longtime critic of Blackwater.

The March 2004 incident involving Blackwater was widely viewed as a turning point in the Iraq war after images of the mutilated bodies of the four guards were seen around the world. Four days after the Blackwater guards were killed, a major military offensive, known as the Battle of Fallujah, began.

Blackwater will ultimately prove to be Bush's worst black eye among many.

Via Yahoo! News.

I ♥ Waxman

Well, not really, but the guy has balls the size of Jupiter.

House Government and Oversight Committee Chairman Henry Waxman (D-CA) has shot another flaming arrow at the White House, this time accusing the White House of being careless in its handling of classified material and ignoring flagrant breaches of security. “There is evidence that both the White House and the Office of the Vice President have flaunted multiple requirements for protecting classified information,” wrote Waxman in a letter to White House Counsel Fred Fielding. The letter is the latest move in Waxman’s escalating investigation of Vice President Cheney’s handling of classified documents.

Waxman said he has been contacted by “current and former White House security personnel” who say they were ignored when they reported breaches, such as “a report that a White House official left classified materials unattended in a hotel room” or reports that “White House officials left classified information on their desks”, says the letter. The security officials were prevented from “conducting unannounced inspections of the West Wing”, such as those allowed by previous administrations, wrote Waxman, who called White House security practices “dangerously inadequate.

If only the rest of the Dems would grow a pair. Nancy Pelosi excluded, of course, but it's up to her and other women in congress.

Yes that's a pic of Jupiter.

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A true representative

WRONG!

Waxman is my congressman...

Henry is OUR Congress critter. Don't try to keep him to yourself. There are few who represent all Americans, but he is one of the few.

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House Oversight and Government Reform Committee

It seems Henry Waxman's House Oversight and Government Reform Committee is carrying the load right at the moment in an attempt to reverse the lack of oversight of the Bush cabal.

If your Congress critter is on that committee, please consider sending them a little encouragement to keep up the fight.

If you go to the Wikipedia site, there are direct links to each committee member. Or, you can look on the right sidebar of this site for info on how to reach House members.

Majority members.

Henry Waxman, Chairman, California
Tom Lantos, California
Ed Towns, New York
Paul E. Kanjorski, Pennsylvania
Carolyn B. Maloney, New York
Elijah Cummings, Maryland
Dennis J. Kucinich, Ohio
Danny K. Davis, Illinois
John F. Tierney, Massachusetts
William Clay, Missouri
Diane Watson, California
Stephen Lynch, Massachusetts
Brian Higgins, New York
Eleanor Holmes Norton, District of Columbia
Betty McCollum, Minnesota
Jim Cooper, Tennessee
Chris Van Hollen, Maryland
John Yarmuth, Kentucky
Bruce Braley, Iowa
Paul Hodes, New Hampshire
Chris Murphy, Connecticut
John Sarbanes, Maryland
Peter Welch, Vermont

Minority members.

Tom Davis, Ranking Member, Virginia
Dan Burton, Indiana
Christopher Shays, Connecticut
John M. McHugh, New York
John Mica, Florida
Mark Souder, Indiana
Todd Russell Platts, Pennsylvania
Chris Cannon, Utah
John James Duncan, Jr., Tennessee
Michael R. Turner, Ohio
Darrell Issa, California
Kenny Marchant, Texas
Lynn Westmoreland, Georgia
Patrick McHenry, North Carolina
Virginia Foxx, North Carolina
Brian Bilbray, California
Bill Sali, Idaho

(source: Wikipedea)

(reference this post over at Bad Attitudes)