"Security in a hostile fire area is a classic military mission," Senator Jack Reed of Rhode Island, a member of the Armed Service committee, wrote last week in a letter to Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld signed by 12 other Democratic senators. "Delegating this mission to private contractors raises serious questions."

"But after months of sabotage and insurgency, some officials now say a much higher percentage will go to security companies that unblushingly charge $500 to $1,500 a day for their most skilled operators. "

A way to hide 20,000 additional fighting personnel.

It's come to that. The US military, fine folks who are mishandled and mismanaged, can't handle the mission, has hired private security companies. In effect, they've outsourced the US military.

Where, oh where, is the conservative outrage?

Arf (I hear it, I can hear it!! Nope, just a butterfly sneezing in the next block.)