Behind the Blackwater Blogs

"God Bless America, or I'll have one of my goons thugsbrave retired soldiers shoot you." Blackwater founder Erik Prince being sworn in before Congressional hearing. (AP Photos/Susan Walsh)Those of you wondering just which big PR firm was behind Blackwater "Facts" & About Blackwater need wonder no more. Looks like it might be Burson-Marsteller, whose president, Mark Penn, happens to be Senator Hillary Clinton's chief campaign strategist. From the NYT:

Mr. Penn’s firm has netted the sort of bad headlines that Mrs. Clinton would not seek: Other than Blackwater, clients have included Countrywide Financial, which has been tainted by the subprime mortgage scandal, and Cintas Corp., which has fought the unionization of its workforce.

Also covered by the AP & The Nation:

UPDATE II: Burson says its subsidiary, BKSH & Associates, run by GOP operative Charlie Black, "helped Blackwater prepare for their recent hearing before Congress. With the hearing over, BKSH's temporary engagement has ended."

Oh, well, it was a subsidiary, & it was just for the hearing. "Plausible deniability," anybody? A "subsidiary" run by "GOP operative Charlie Black." So when a right-wing entity needs spin, they go to BKSH & Associates. Doubtless there's another B-M "subsidiary" that spins for the left. Gotta cover all the bases to keep the money rolling in.