Feb 21 2006
Bush Has Backbone
Well it is about time Bush came out and stood up to the mob mentality. And he is doing it with strength. Bush is threatening a veto (which we all knew would be used to reign in the reps not dems) on the UAE Port deal.
From Drudge:
Bush called reports at about 2.30 aboard Air Force One to issue a very strong defense of port deal… MORE… He said he would veto any legislation to hold up deal and warned the United States was sending ‘mixed signals’ by going after a company from the Middle East when nothing was said when a British company was in charge… Lawmakers, he said, must ‘step up and explain why a middle eastern company is held to a different standard.’ Bush was very forceful when he delivered the statement… ‘I don’t view it as a political fight,’ Bush said…. MORE… MORE…
This makes me more confident about my suspicions in that there is a lot at stake here. And none of it is worth losing to rampant, fear induced, speculation. The Rueters news flash. Now Breibart’s news flash. This looks like a Briebart extended article.
People need to contemplate why Bush and the DoD and others are defending this deal so hard. Like I said in my previous post, try and envision scenarios where this deal increases our security as well as risks it. Both forms of speculation are equally valid.
UPDATE:
Bin Laden is smiling and liberals are smiling, conservatives look bad and moderate Arabs are stunned and angry….
Arab-Americans contended on Tuesday that bias and bigotry, not security concerns, lay behind the uproar over a deal that would place commercial operations at six U.S. ports in the hands of an Arab company.
…
“I find some of the rhetoric being used against this deal shameful and irresponsible. There is bigotry coming out here,” said James Zogby, president of the Arab American Institute.He said politicians were exploiting fears left over from September 11 to gain advantage in a congressional election year.
“Bush is vulnerable so the Democrats jump on it. The Republicans feel vulnerable so they jump on it. The slogan is, if it’s Arab, it’s bad. Hammer away,” Zogby said.
According to some industry analysts, the change in management would have no real effect on security, which would still be carried out by American workers to international standards. The UAE, whose government owns Dubai Ports World, is an international financial hub and close U.S. ally.
“The Emirates have been very pro-active partners in helping our security. They have a solid track record of cooperation,” said Peter Tirschwell, publisher of the Journal of Commerce.
Rabiah Ahmed of the Council on American-Islamic Relations said members of her organization also believed anti-Arab bigotry was driving the debate.
“The perception in the Arab-American community is that this is related to anti-Arab sentiment,” she said.
Well, let me know how we plan to screw this whole thing up more tomorrow – I can hardly way to see what people think of.
UPDATE II:
Michelle is starting the blog round up here!
I moved text to a separate post dealing with the insanity of this topic. It covered some ranting from the right which was immature and vacuous. Feel free to check it out, but I think this post sums up what we lost, and this one points to the ugliness eminating from this issue.
The Sum Of All Fears
Rescind Mr. President. Faith is a misplaced emotion in the long war on terror, and the assurance that U.S. ports will be secure when they are managed by a firm owned by a government in one of the most volatile parts of the world, is worthless.
Chillin’ For Dubai…
Chillin: ALADDIN’S RANT and DRUMWASTER’S RANTS and SQUIGGLER and STRATA-SPHERE and VODKAPUNDIT and YOU BIG MOUTH YOU…
First off the USS Cole incident… anyone who has been aboard ship in the navy knows that their ship is solely responsible for its own security. This is especially true in ports such as Yemen that, while we do refuel and replenish there, is known to be a hotbed of trouble. I remember that from some security briefings I received before I travelled into that area in 1992.
Second, congress’ blaming President Bush for their ineptitude to investigate a deal that has been 3 months in the making just makes me sick. We have senators on both side of the aisles as well as some prominent representatives have seem to have no problems voicing classified information to the press. Then they wonder why the President doesn’t trust them. I am beginning to think that I trust the UAE to keep our secrets than I trust our congress. Some of the spillages of information border on treason but are disguise in political debate as first amendment rights.
Third, if the UAE and such other foreign entities managing our ports is such a sore spot, we better kick the ChiComs out of our ports as well. They have made no bones about the desire to destroy the US economically and will be more than willing to challenge us on the matter oc Hong Kong.
Having been to the ports in Dubai to meet “ship that doesnt exist” and having to go through the security employed there even though I was American military at the time, gives me some degree of confidence that we don’t have much more to worry about than if the British company still manage the port. Recall that there is a rather large contingent of anti-democracy muslims living in Britain and can easily gain employment in such companies.
Just food for thought.
Mordi