Our mercenaries

Take a look at this excerpt from an article in The Nation called "Blackwater Banned":

The news that the Iraqi government has banned Blackwater USA, the notorious mercenary firm, from operating in the country reveals another of the great fictions promoted by the Bush crowd in the course of this catastrophic war. The notion that Iraq is a sovereign nation in control of its own destiny.
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The banning of Blackwater makes it impossible to ignore the fact that Iraq is not in charge of Iraq. We are. Iraq’s Interior Ministry announced that authorities have cancelled Blackwater’s licence to operate in the country and intend to prosecute the company for a shooting that killed eight Iraqis.

The New York Times account added this disclaimer in the second paragraph:

“But under the rules that govern private security contractors here, the Iraqis do not have the legal authority to do so.”
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The basic reality in wars of occupation–see the history of colonialism–is that a country can never regain true sovereignty so long as the occupying army remains on the scene, able to impose its will by force of arms. That of course is Iraq’s situation, no matter what the White House says or Americans wish to believe. Iraq will not become a sovereign nation until the US troops depart. Maybe this why polls show 76 percent of Iraqis want the US out.

We ought to have a constitutional ammendment banning the use of mercenaries in American wars or so-called "police actions". If enough people don't volunteer to conduct a war then we need a draft. If we are not willing to have a draft then we've no business going to war. End of story.