[Breitbart] Erik Prince, founder of the famed private military contractor Blackwater, addressed the Bush-linked Maverick PAC on Friday night. His remarks, as transcribed by the Daily Beast, were provocative. He thought his old outfit could have handled the menace of the Islamic State effectively:
"It's a shame the [Obama] administration crushed my old business, because as a private organization, we could've solved the boots-on-the-ground issue, we could have had contracts from people that want to go there as contractors; you don't have the argument of U.S. active duty going back in there," Prince said in an on-stage discussion featuring retired four-star Gen. James Conway. "[They could have] gone in there and done it, and be done, and not have a long, protracted political mess that I predict will ensue."
As the Daily Beast explains, Blackwater was "crushed" after the Obama administration cut its government contracts, in part due to a history that included "Blackwater guards gunning down 17 civilians in Baghdad" during the Bush administration. Prince feels he and his company were treated unfairly and has vowed not to accept any more government work. |