Spending On Iraq Sets Off Gold Rush (washingtonpost.com)

"Of the $4 billion a month already being spent in Iraq, as much as a third is going to the private contractors who have flooded into the country, said Deborah D. Avant, a political scientist at George Washington University and an expert in the new breed of private military companies. The flow of money will increase greatly if Congress approves Bush's request [ for US$87 billion in spending increase ].

Many of the services being sought -- including police training, crimes-against-humanity investigations and prison-construction expertise -- are highly specialized. Conditions are dangerous. Experts say American taxpayers can expect to pay a hefty premium to contractors in a classic seller's market.

[...]

"All I can say is it's mind-boggling," James Lyons, a former military subcontractor in Bosnia, said of the opportunities for private contractors. "People must be drooling."

The real advantage, for Bubba Bush, in invading Iraq may not be the oil as much as the incredible opportunities for cronyism in the name of "nation building". Dyncorp and Halliburtion stand to make out like bandits! (Patriotic bandits, of course).

How much longer before pre-emptive wars are entirely conducted by private enterprises? Does the word "mercenary" have any meaning in such a context?