First Blackwater attacks Air Force Officers. Next, they lie about “returning fire” in Iraq. Then, they lie about what kind of money they’re making undermining the US Military abroad. From a Dkos Diary on Prince’s testimony, Tennessee Congressman John Duncan reveals the escalation in costs of Blackwater’s services during the past three fiscal years:

“Our committee memorandum says using Blackwater instead of U.S. troops to protect embassy officials is expensive.

That’s putting it lightly; Blackwater charges the government $1,222 per day for the services of a private military contractor. This is equivalent to $445,000 per year - over 6 times more than the cost of an equivalent U.S. soldier.

This war has produced some of the most lavish, most fiscally excessive, most exorbitantly profitable contracts in the history of the world. And it seems to me that fiscal conservatives should be under no, feel no obligation to defend this type of contract.

In fact, it seems to me that fiscal conservatives should be the ones most horrified by this. And I notice in the table that Blackwater’s contracting has gone from 25 million in 2003 to 48 million 2004, to 593 million in 2006.

If we are going to be there another 10 years, as some have said, I surely hope that we’re not going to continue to see these types of ridiculously excessive increases in the contracts that are being handed out.”

Yeah, Duncan’s a Republican (as opposed to, at least in this instance, a GOP shill). He goes on:

“I also notice that Blackwater is a subsidiary of the Prince Group, of Prince Group Holdings, and that another one of the holdings of that firm is Presidential Airways, an aviation company that has held a contract with the U.S. Air Force Air Mobility Command. Mr. Prince, can you tell me what percentage of Prince Group Holdings comes from federal contracts of all or any types?”

Prince asks him to repeat the question.

Rep. John Duncan: “Can you tell me…I don’t know what all companies are in…I don’t know all the companies that are in your Prince Group Holdings. Apparently, there is a Presidential Airways. I don’t know how many other companies there are. What I’m wondering about is how much of Prince Group Holdings comes from federal contracts of any and all types.”

Prince: Most of Prince Group Holdings come from federal contracts. blather blather blather

Rep. John Duncan: When you said most; does that mean 100%? Rough guess: what percentage?

Prince: Rough guess? 90%

Rep. John Duncan: Do you still have a contract with Presidential Airways with Air Force Mobility Command?

Prince: Yes, Sir.

Rep. John Duncan: And rough guess: how much is that contract each year?

Prince: I don’t know what the exact number is, Sir. It’s for 8 aircraft right now; I don’t know what they price out at.”

In other words, MERCENARIES are sucking the US Taxpayer dry for services in Iraq. Where’s Rush Limbaugh’s outrage? Where’s Michelle Malkin’s stalking shrillness?

**crickets**

But some Republicans don’t like it, and some (gasp) Freepers don’t like it either.

Truth to power: The US Military trains the world’s best fighting forces. The particular skills of some units are skills a civilized nation won’t put to work in its prisons or police or emergency-response forces at home (counterterror operations are, largely, distinguishable from terrorist operations purely by the identification of the target population). Now Blackwater’s even holding US soldiers at gunpoint inside the Green Zone in Baghdad. How long before the corporate forces will stop at nothing, deploying everywhere?