now why would bush be concerned?

From afp.com
Bush 'concerned' about Blackwater dispute
US President George W. Bush is "concerned" about the Blackwater controversy in Iraq, the White House said Wednesday, as Washington and Baghdad sought a compromise to end the damaging dispute.
At the same time, Bush spokeswoman Dana Perino appeared to reject Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's forceful calls to replace the company, repeatedly insisting that civilian US workers in Iraq "need protection."
Officials on both sides signaled that they wanted a solution that would ultimately let the mammoth private security firm continue to operate in war-torn Iraq, where it protects civilian US employees.
Asked about Bush's reaction to the dispute, triggered Sunday when Blackwater contractors opened fire in a Baghdad neighborhood, killing 10 people and wounding 13, Perino replied: "Obviously he said he was concerned."
"He was glad that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice called Prime Minister Maliki to express the deep regret for the innocent loss of life. He wants there to be an investigation -- an open, transparent, clear investigation," she said.
Perino was keen to stress US-Iraqi cooperation on the matter, noting the creation of a joint commission to gather the facts about the incident and "to recommend any sort of policy changes that need to made in the future."
But she said it was "premature" to say whether that could include pulling the firm out of war-torn Iraq, where its employees often protect US diplomats and other civilian workers.
"We are in a very dangerous situation over there, and civilians who are working for either the State Department or other agencies need protection," said Perino. "This is one of the companies that provides protection."
"And the secretary said that she wants a full, open and transparency investigation into what happened," she said. "Until that is settled, I think we'll decline to comment on any other action."
US State Department spokesman Tom Casey said Wednesday the commission of inquiry's goal "is to make joint policy recommendations, including specific suggestions for improving US and Iraqi procedures regarding government-affiliated personal security details."
It would also receive the findings of a US review of Sunday's shootings, which erupted after a bomb exploded near a US diplomatic convoy which the Blackwater guards were escorting.
Iraqi government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh told AFP that the joint panel would attempt to thrash out a compromise that would allow Blackwater to continue its operations in Iraq.
"We understand that this company is giving security to embassy staff so we don't want to revoke their license permanently," he said.
"We want them to operate within the laws of Iraq. They used effective fire against civilians and we don't want this to happen again. We will decide the course of action to be taken" in talks with US officials.
Maliki's call came as US and Iraqi officials were locked in talks trying to defuse the crisis sparked when Blackwater guards escorting US embassy officials opened fire in a Baghdad neighborhood.
Blackwater says the convoy came under attack from insurgents. Iraqi officials say the guards recklessly shot and killed civilian bystanders.
"This company should be punished. We are not going to allow it to kill Iraqis in cold blood. We have frozen all its activities and a joint panel has been formed to investigate the incident," the prime minister said.
"For their own interests, the Americans should hire a new company to protect their people so they can move freely."
The US embassy in Baghdad has barred its officials from travelling by land outside Baghdad's fortified Green Zone amid fears of attacks after Sunday's shooting.
But Casey stressed "that the US embassy is fully functioning, that it's able to carry out its needed activities."
The commission, which will be co-chaired by US and Iraqi officials, "is not conducting a specific investigation into this incident," he said, but the shooting "will be a significant portion of what it deals with."