This isn't the first time the House Government Reform and Oversight Committee has held a hearing on contracting abuses in Iraq, but this one, October 2, could hardly be more timely. The hearing will deal largely with private security contractor Blackwater, following up on "new questions about Blackwater" forwarded by the Committee.

From the Committee statement:

"Previously undisclosed information reveals (1) Blackwater has engaged in 195 “escalation of force” incidents since 2005, an average of 1.4 per week, including over 160 incidents in which Blackwater forces fired first; (2) after a drunken Blackwater contractor shot the guard of the ...   more »