Political Quotes

“there was an event that occurred yesterday in Iraq which is significant. A decision was made by the Iraqi Government to order a private security firm known as Blackwater USA to leave the country. It involved the fatal shooting of eight Iraqi civilians following a car bomb attack against the State Department convoy. I don't know the circumstances of that attack, nor do I know the circumstances that led to the killing of these innocent civilians. Only a thorough and fair investigation will bring us to any kind of closure on this particular matter. What happened yesterday is going to dramatize to the American people something significant that has occurred in this war in Iraq. For the first time, we are seeing massive numbers of private security contractors who are at work for the U.S. Government in Iraq. They are in a security or quasi-military capacity. I have been to Iraq three times. They are often dispatched to provide security for visiting members of the Cabinet and Members of Congress. I will say at the outset that although I have serious misgivings about Blackwater as an organization, the individual men who have dedicated their lives to this service are risking their lives in the process, and their courage and bravery to step up is something that should be acknowledged and never diminished.”