After my post about the use of the word “mercenary” to refer to the civilian contractors in Iraq, I have read up a little more on it. I haven’t changed my mind (I would have to change the definition, and it makes clear that the soldiers thus named are from another country, not one of the ones engaged), but I think “soldiers of fortune” is both more appropriate and more evocative. There is a fair amount of money at play here — yours and mine, if you’re a US taxpayer — and whatever these contract workers’ politics, it’s not unreasonable to assume the pay is part of the appeal.
On a certain level, doesn’t the phrase fit a large contingent of the current administration?