"See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil." — Japanese adage

Iraq For Sale contrasts the war in Iraq with previous conflicts, noting that there are over 100,000 private contractors employed in this effort. Jobs that were previously the domain of the U.S. military are now outsourced to firms like Blackwater Security Counseling, CACI, Titan, and KBR (and its parent company, Halliburton). Private security contractors number approximately 20,000, more than any other contingent of the coalition forces, including the British army.

The film asserts that the use of private contractors escalated because Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld was desperate to deal with the Sunni insurgency that continues largely unabated today. Given the current level of troops deployed in Iraq, that means private contractors are the largest non-U.S. military contingent of the multinational force.

Investigators always follow the money, and director Robert Greenwald reports that of all appropriations for the war, 40% of the funds go to private contractors for troop support and rebuilding Iraq. At issue are the 'no bid' contracts that exclude competition, and 'cost plus' provisions that provide a guaranteed percentage of profit based on expenditures. But the film also points out that profit often takes precedence over service to our troops, and companies have also cut corners that place their own employees in danger.

As the allegations of abuse, profiteering, and fraud surfaced there have been a number of amendments proposed by members of Congress to investigate and regulate contractors, but each has been defeated by the Republican majority.

The most persistent in this regard is Senator Dorgan of North Dakota, who has offered an amendment at least four times that would establish a special committee in the Senate to investigate the allegations. This committee would be bipartisan and follow the precedent established by the Truman Committee, which was established in 1941. One of the special features on this DVD provides C-Span footage highlighting the arguments made both in favor and against these amendments as well as the roll call vote that followed.

"We used to call them mercenaries." — Former Marine general

As the documentary begins, Greenwald first points to private security firms and focuses on Blackwater SC and the contractors who were killed and whose charred bodies were hung from a bridge in Fallujah. The movie introduces us to the families of two of the men killed.

The idea is to make us familiar with these men as people, to develop an emotional appeal. This may resonate with some viewers, yet these men were veterans of U.S. Special Forces. They knew the risks they faced and accepted the conditions of their employ. That they were sent on a mission without a map, and undermanned, doesn’t negate the fact they made a choice and died as a result. What the film doesn’t tell us is that Blackwater operatives are paid as much as a $1000 a day to provide security services, though one mother does mention the money was good. Very, very good if you compare that to what we pay our soldiers and reservists.