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Ear to the Ground

U.S. Diplomats Confined to the Green Zone

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Posted on Sep 19, 2007
embassy pool
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A leaked mock-up of the pool house at the American Embassy in Baghdad’s Green Zone.

The State Department has restricted all U.S. diplomats to the Green Zone in Baghdad while it conducts a security review, presumably inspired by the suspension of its preferred mercenary bodyguards.

Not to worry, the American mega-embassy’s swimming pool, food court and beauty shop should keep our diplomats occupied.

BBC:

The US has suspended all road journeys by its diplomats in Iraq outside Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone.

This follows an incident in which 11 Iraqi civilians died when security guards from the US firm Blackwater opened fire in a busy Baghdad square.

Blackwater has a contract to guard all US State Department employees in Iraq.

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By purplewolf, September 20, 2007 at 8:42 am #
(567 comments total)

Well Bu$hit will bring the Blackwater group back, enhance them,change the color of their clothes and like any other operation in Iraq, send them back in and he will give them a new name. Something like “TRANQUIL WATERS SECURITY”. After all he manages to keep coming up with new names for all the b.s. missions in Iraq,this is no different.

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By Jimnp72, September 19, 2007 at 7:18 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)

Just their name makes me cringe

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By DennisD, September 19, 2007 at 6:11 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)

Is this supposed to be like when Paris Hilton was “confined” to her mansion - no can’t be - her pool was bigger.
I think the diplomats should have to watch reruns of Bu$h’s speeches; the surge is working, things are getting better all the time(sorry John/Paul) etc. etc. until Blackwater turns their shirts inside out and comes back as the “new” security/mercenary bodyguards so they can continue to “freely” roam the streets of Baghdad as our missionaries of democracy.

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By cyrena, September 19, 2007 at 1:46 pm #
(4165 comments total)

Farmertx,

On this, I think you’re right on the money. (no pun intended).

...."This leads me to expect that Blackwater USA will cease operations and a “new” contractor will take their place. Obviously, the front men now in Iraq would have to be replaced to give a semblance of truth to the ‘new’ company."…

There will be a cosmetic do-over of Blackwater, (they may even change the name) but all else will remain the same.

Meantime, Condi’s the one that had to call Maliki, to apologize, and promise an “investigation”. (laught out loud) and say that it will never happen again, (until the next time they get caught, since Blackwater and other contractors have been killing Iraqis since the beginning).

I don’t think the Iraqis are going for it though. (well, THEY never have). But even Maliki now realizes that all of those promises the Shrub made to him, (about making him and his friends rich off of their own oil)was just a bunch of bullshit, and that he got fooled the same as the rest of us. Except of course he fooled bush as well, once he realized what was going on, and he’s since been able to play both ends against the middle. (Maliki that is). Iran and the Shrub.

Meantime, Condi and the Shrub, (based on her lack of any diplomatic skills) have managed to make Iran far more powerful in the region, than they would otherwise be.

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By vet240, September 19, 2007 at 11:38 am #
(188 comments total)

Golly Maude! Who says we’re not making progress. These digs are just like the Motel 8 back in Muncie Indiana!

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By 1drees, September 19, 2007 at 11:33 am #
(Unregistered commenter)

well nice heading, But one thign to note is that that “embassy” is acres and acres of land dedicated to robbing and enslaving the IRAQIs and these “Diplomats” need to be taken a close look at, and try and find out what are they doing under the cover of Diplomatic Immunity and find out their job descriptions and then be fair and think whether these can be termed as “Diplomats”
In my humble opinion the limits on the freedoms of thse indivduals should only be limited to within certain jail-cells and not beyond that coz thse are far too evil to be let loose on the planet.

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By rowdy, September 19, 2007 at 9:53 am #
(300 comments total)

must be awful for those living in the green zone. they can no longer stroll through the markets or attend the many cultural events baghdad has to offer. maybe katie couric will lend out her personal body armor.

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By kevin99999, September 19, 2007 at 9:50 am #
(Unregistered commenter)

There is nothing surprising or inaccurate in what Moran says. Politicians, both democrats and republicans, simply are too dishonest, corrupt, and cowards to admit in public what they know in private.

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By Mudwollow, September 19, 2007 at 8:54 am #
(211 comments total)

Quick, and John McCain over there, so he can walk around and show everybody how great things really are.

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By lodipete, September 19, 2007 at 7:23 am #
(83 comments total)

Finally, an honest democrat explains why there is no push to get out of Iraq from Pelosi et als.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – Rep. Jim Moran, D-Virginia, is under fire from members of his own party for recent comments claiming a major Jewish public action committee was behind the push to invade Iraq in 2003.

In the September issue of the Jewish magazine Tikkun, Moran is sharply critical of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), saying “AIPAC is the most powerful lobby and has pushed this war from the beginning. I don’t think they represent the mainstream of American Jewish thinking at all, but because they are so well organized… they have been able to exert power.”

AIPAC tells CNN it has taken no position on the Iraq war.
This last comment is laughable. Stenny Hoyer immediately called for Moran to retract. Now that’s a democrat who knows what side his bread is buttered on. Vote Kucinich or Ron Paul via write in if needs be.

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By farmertx, September 19, 2007 at 3:18 am #
(473 comments total)

I am somewhat surprised that Shrub hasn’t called Malaki on the carpet and explained Shrubs’ version of how the cow ate the cabbage. Imagine the nerve of these people, acting like they were a sovereign, independent Nation, with the ability to choose their own destiny.
This leads me to expect that Blackwater USA will cease operations and a “new” contractor will take their place. Obviously, the front men now in Iraq would have to be replaced to give a semblance of truth to the ‘new’ company.
At least this ban on travel has lightened the amount of soiled underclothes that must be washed at the Embassy. Maybe the laundry can go to once a day service, rather than continuos operations. At Halliburtons’ rates, that ought to save a couple hundred thousand bucks a day.

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