And eventually everything calms down and you can get back to business as usual.  Based on James Risen’s report in the New York Times, that’s what appears to have happened with Blackwater USA, the private security contractor with the largest role in protecting U.S. personnel and resources in Iraq.  Eight months ago Blackwater guards were involved in a shooting incident in Baghdad — the infamous Nisour Square shootout — which ended with 17 Iraqi civilians dead.  Word was that Blackwater would lose their security contract and that those responsible for wrongful deaths in Iraq would be prosecuted in the U.S. or in Iraq.  But the State Department has renewed its contract with Blackwater and no one — except the Iraqi people — has paid a price.  Read Risen here.  EH

And unfortunately, that means that citizens may more easily.  Jerry Markon of the Washington Post reports today that the rivalry between the FBI and the ATF — now both part of the Justice Department — is leading to duplicated missions, wasted resources, and competing investigations.  Their agents shout at each other at crime scenes about who’s in control.  Observers say that both agencies are focused on investigating crimes, but that with a little more "adult supervision" they could accomplish much more.  Let’s hope Mr. Mukasey gets to his Saturday paper.  Read Markon here.  EH

When gas prices were hurtling upwards, most journalists wrote about (brace yourself) the fact that gas prices were high.  A few stretched themselves enough to address consumer pain and to ask vaguely whether Americans would give up "their love of SUVs" or start using mass transit.  Then, within the space of a week or so we learn that Americans react to economic laws just like everybody else.  Dee Ann Durbin and Tom Krisher of the Associated Press tell us about the spike in demand for small, fuel-efficient cars, leaving manufacturers low on inventory.  Clifford Krause of the New York Times reports on the growth of mass transit use, noting that rising fuel costs are taxing mass transit systems — not to mention the fact that most were unprepared for the rise in ridership.  These articles are better late than never, but for the most part, the trend toward smaller cars, mass transit, and subsequent carbon reductions are an untouched story.  Who is going to look ahead?