Blackwater Int'l Does Its Own Dash

A certain notoriety is a good thing in the security biz. Wells Fargo did not become the leading company riding shotgun on all of those payroll-filled stagecoaches in the Old West by playing paddy cake with outlaws. And Pinkerton made its nut by getting its man and not merely putting on a show of trying to do so.

But the serial thuggery of Blackwater Worldwide's hired guns in Iraq apparently has tarnished its brand so such an extent that it is limiting its ability to expand its security franchise. So, if CEO Erik Prince is to be believed, Blackwater will focus more on training, avionics and logistics.

Prince whinges that the price his firm paid defending U.S. diplomats, which has earned it more than $1 billion since the war began, was too dear:

"The experience we've had would certainly be a disincentive to any other companies that want to step in and put their entire business at risk."

Prince, of course, fails to mention that Blackwater believes itself to be above the law -- whether U.S., Iraqi or international, and has no one to blame for all of the bad publicity, and in any event its future seems secure.