Citing repeated government missteps, U.S. District Judge Ricardo Urbina dismissed a case that had been steeped in international politics. The shooting in busy Nisoor Square left 17 Iraqis dead and inflamed anti-American sentiment abroad. The Iraqi government wanted the guards to face trial in Iraq and officials there said they would closely watch how the U.S. judicial system handled the case. Story

 

"The charges against our favorite security firm, Blackwater, appear to be, for the most part, unfounded. Those guys are professionals, and they have taken a lot of casualties in protecting our State Department personnel...