What has happened to Bill Sizemore? The scrappy anti-Blackwater crusader seemed to wilt during Blackwater CEO Erik Prince's congressional testimony October 2, writing a story for the Associated Press that is about as fair and balanced as any. The article is a total turnaround for Sizemore, a reporter for the Virginian-Pilot in the Norfolk area and whose circulation area includes Blackwater headquarters.
Sizemore's coverage is far from the rabid stuff that had given him hopes of winning the Pulitzer, and is moving closer to that of his colleague Joanne Kimberlin.
Prince "gave little ground to critics" in "an unprecedented public performance" at the hearing, wrote Sizemore, who quoted the Blackwater owner in a favorable light and gave even-handed treatment to the company's critics like Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA), and its supporters like Rep. Chris Shays (R-CT).
"Several committee members thanked Prince for the protection Blackwater provided them on trips to Iraq," Sizemore wrote.
Sizemore even put things into proper context: "Responding to data compiled by the committee showing that Blackwater contractors have been involved in nearly 200 shooting incidents in Iraq since Jan. 1, 2005, Prince said it is important to put that number in perspective. He said the incidents amounted to fewer than 1 percent of the company’s convoy missions in 2006 and less than 3 percent of missions so far in 2007."
“I’ve heard a lot of complimentary things about what you all do,” Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD), one of Blackwater's harshest critics on the panel, conceded to Prince. “And I’m sure you do a great job."
"But it’s not about what you do well," Cummings added. "It’s a question of, when things go wrong, where is the accountability?"
According to Sizemore, "Prince replied: 'Sir, we fired him. We fined him. But we, as a private organization, can’t do any more. We can’t flog him. We can’t incarcerate him. That’s up to the Justice Department. We are not empowered to enforce U.S. law.' Prince added that he would be 'happy to see a further investigation and prosecution by the Justice Department.'"
All in all, it looks like Prince tamed Sizemore with his testimony. Sizemore's colleague Joanne Kimberlin, who almost always told readers some of the good side of Blackwater, gave a vivid account of what went on in the hearing room.
Commenting on the assembled spectators, she said, "If they were expecting to see a thrashing, they were disappointed. Prince entered the room at the last minute, triggering a barrage of shutter clicks from nearly two dozen photographers. Trim and tan, with his close-cropped hair neatly parted, Prince, 38, looked more like a young scoutmaster than the leader of what critics call a mercenary outfit."
Her article is titled, "Observers admire Prince's poise while in the limelight." Even critics on the panel "openly admired [Prince's] performance. 'You're a very impressive witness,' conceded Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md.
"As the hearing wore on, Prince found himself responding to the same questions over and over - thanks to the fact that panel members tend to periodically leave the room to take care of other business. As a result, they walk back in, toss out questions that have already been asked and expect an answer.
"Toward the end of the hearing, Prince was given the option of taking a break or dealing with final questions. 'I'll take them, and then let's be done,' he said."
