Why, yes, I DID call that nicely, didn't I?

Previously, from CC News Central, 10:17 a.m., Monday Sept 19:

P.S. If the Iraqi government says it wants Blackwater out, and the U.S. government says no, that's going to strain that whole definition of Iraqi "sovereignty" just a wee bit, don't you think?

Of course, one might also point out that we here at CC HQ have been trying to focus attention on this whole Iraqi "sovereignty" issue for quite some time, like here and here and here and here and here and here and ... well, you get the idea. So, under the circumstances, it's nice to see the mainstream media finally getting a clue:

Blackwater fight tests US view of Iraq

WASHINGTON (AFP) - A red-faced US government pleaded for patience from Baghdad as a private US security firm's role in a deadly gun battle tested US claims that war-torn Iraq is a sovereign nation.

CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP!! Bravo, AFP -- welcome to the party. A couple years late but, what the hell, we can order fresh pizzas. And if you need any more story ideas, well, you know where to find me.

AFTERSNARK: Perhaps the most ironic part of that AFP article:

A top Iraqi judge has said Blackwater could face trial over the incident, in which some of its guards, who were escorting US embassy officials, opened fire in a Baghdad neighborhood, killing 10 people and wounding 13.

But Blackwater denies any wrongdoing, and US legal experts said the contractors may be immune from prosecution under a measure conceived by the US-led Coalition Provisional Authority not long after the March 2003 invasion.

That would be that vaunted right-wing "accountability" and "personal responsibility" you keep hearing so much about. But you didn't need me to explain that, did you?