Cindy McCain Bankrolled Conference That Called for Ban on Mercenaries

Rebel Reports, links at site.

By Jeremy Scahill

A little-publicized US Naval Academy conference named after Senator John McCain and bankrolled by his wealthy wife, Cindy, issued a call earlier this year for the US government to ban the use of armed private security contractors like Blackwater in US war zones, stating bluntly, “contractors should not be deployed as security guards, sentries, or even prison guards within combat areas.”

[...] At present, there are 74,000 contractors on the DoD payroll in Afghanistan—roughly 10,000 more than the number of US troops. Thousands of other contractors work for the US State Department and other agencies. (my em)

The McCain conference raised questions about “the privatization of combat support functions,” including intelligence collection and analysis, as well as “advising/training for combat.” It concluded, “In irregular warfare environments, where civilian cooperation is crucial,” barring the use of armed contractors “is both ethically and strategically necessary.”

I'm liking the McCain women more and more. Yes, I know they're still Repugs. Go read the rest.