Fears of $1 Billion Blackwater deal, from AP via SF Chron

Remember Blackwater, the politically connected far-right-wing "consulting" group banned by the Iraqi government? It's now called Xe and is looking for a $1 Billion deal in Afghanistan.

"A senior Senate Democrat said Thursday the Pentagon should consider barring Blackwater, now called Xe Services, from a new $1 billion deal to train Afghan police because of "serious questions" about the contractor's conduct.

"The comments by Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin suggests thinning patience in Congress for the Pentagon's heavy reliance on contractors on the battlefield (but) .... outsourcing has made it more difficult for military commanders to control what happens on the battlefield.

"In one recent incident in Afghanistan, two contractors tied to Blackwater allegedly killed two Afghan civilians and injured a third. U.S. officials say the May 2009 shooting damaged relations with the local population

"The inadequacies in Blackwater's performance appear to have contributed to a shooting incident that has undermined our mission in Afghanistan," Levin, D-Mich., wrote in a letter to Defense Secretary Robert Gates.

via http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2010/03/04/national/w074053S26.DTL&tsp=1#