There’s nothing ‘de facto’ about the mercenary thing, @allahpundit…

…this (via Hot Air) sounds pretty [expletive deleted] much like the US government was pretty [expletive deleted] explicitly offered a mercenary contract by the [expletive deleted] oil oligarchies.

KERRY: Well, we don’t know what action we are engaged in right now, but they have been quite significant. I mean, very significant. In fact, some of them have said that if the U.S. is prepared to go do the whole thing, the way we’ve done it previously in other places, they’ll carry that cost. That’s how dedicated they are to this. Obviously, that is not in the cards and nobody is talking about it, but they are talking about taking seriously getting this job done.

…YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT IT RIGHT NOW, SECRETARY KERRY.Moe Lane (crosspost)

PS: Niccolo!  NICCOLO!  Come here: I have need of you.  Explain to this parochial Bostonian hick the trouble with mercenaries…

I say, therefore, that the arms with which a prince defends his state are either his own, or they are mercenaries, auxiliaries, or mixed. Mercenaries and auxiliaries are useless and dangerous; and if one holds his state based on these arms, he will stand neither firm nor safe; for they are disunited, ambitious and without discipline, unfaithful, valiant before friends, cowardly before enemies; they have neither the fear of God nor fidelity to men, and destruction is deferred only so long as the attack is; for in peace one is robbed by them, and in war by the enemy. The fact is, they have no other attraction or reason for keeping the field than a trifle of stipend, which is not sufficient to make them willing to die for you. They are ready enough to be your soldiers whilst you do not make war, but if war comes they take themselves off or run from the foe; which I should have little trouble to prove, for the ruin of Italy has been caused by nothing else than by resting all her hopes for many years on mercenaries, and although they formerly made some display and appeared valiant amongst themselves, yet when the foreigners came they showed what they were.

…thank you.  In civilized societies, Mister Kerry, it would be a deadly insult in itself to let pass the outrageous suggestion that our extremely well-trained, highly-motivated, and dedicated military is equivalent to some cheap so-called ‘free company’ hired from the dregs of the taverns and the camps.  The ignorance and fecklessness displayed here by our – God save the Republic! – Secretary of State does more to validate my 2004 vote than anything else that comes to mind.

2017 cannot come quickly enough.