AP: Blackwater 'has never failed in its primary mission in Iraq'

Say what you will about Blackwater USA, but the company "has never failed at its primary mission in Iraq: Protecting State Department diplomats."

That's what Associated Press correspondent Mike Baker reports from Raleigh, North Carolina.

Few other companies can claim such a record. "Not one diplomat has died" under Blackwater's protection.

While earning criticism for its guards' tough, aggressive, "cowboy" appearance, Blackwater wins admiration from some of its competitors.

"You can argue about the methodology and say it's negatively impacting relationships between the Iraqi government and citizens and the U.S. But if you get right down to the terms of the contract, they're tasked with protecting U.S. diplomatic personnel. They've done that," Scott Traudt of competitor Cohort International tells AP.