State Dept. ignored diplomats’ concerns on Blackwater.

The State Department “overlooked repeated warnings from U.S. diplomats in the field that guards were endangering Iraqi civilians and undermining U.S. efforts to win support from the population.” Diplomats cautioned that the 2004 decision to grant contractors immunity from Iraqi courts was “a bomb that could go off at any time.” Earlier reports show that the State Department also ignored repeated complaints from Iraqi officials about Blackwater’s conduct.