Could the Iraq tragedy get more strange?

"There are more US-paid private contractors than there are American troops in Iraq."

I hope you can see this tiny chart above from the LA Times article explaining this graphic and the issue of private US-paid contractors. We have been hearing rumors about the vast numbers of private contractors PAID by the US. This seems to be the first time that real numbers have emerged.

What does it mean that 118,000 of these people are Iraqis? We're fighting Iraqis and we're hiring Iraqis? These companies that are hiring the Iraqis are being paid billions of dollars a MONTH. Are the employed Iraqis receiving the better part of this money? What about the underfunded, underpaid Iraqi military we are supposed to be training to take over? What does it mean to fight a war with private contractors...who exceed the number of troops? Why did we refuse to send enough troops and then hire enough civilians to out-number the troops? To hide the real cost? To hide the truth that we are not able to even raise enough troops?

There are just so many questions that this war arouses that will never be answered. There are not enough answers. Not in a hundred years will we investigate all these mounting, astounding issues and receive answers for all the questions provoked.

One haunting question is, where will all these companies go when we leave Iraq? Imagine the lobbying "surge" they will put forth to insure they continue to sustain and increase earnings. I think these bloody, greedy war merchants are going to be very desirous of a NEW war.