If there is a problem in oversight, it is self inflicted by the complainees. The timeline per news outlets is this.

1-Nov, 2005 – Reuters ran articles in their American syndicates, including the Boston Glove (on my Sea2Sea blog) announcing sale to DP World for $5.8.

Not only was this reported in the American, national and maritine news – AND overlooked by Congress, media etal – I would find it hard to believe the Port Authorities themselves were unaware P&O was looking to sell. It’s been in the red and laying off for over a year. Get serious… that’s their business to know.

That they did not call their local Congressmen and whine is indicative of the fact they weren’t worried about the sale.

2- Late Dec/early Jan – PSA Int’l came in with competative bid for $6.1. DP World countered and upped the bid to current $6.8. PSA drops out for inability to match or best.

3-Per Michelle Malkin’s blog, and Peter King, the investigation of the sale took 20-25 days instead of 30-45. Prior to the acceptance of the sale, this investigation would have been going on, and that is confirmed by a Gulf News story dated 2-11-06 stating “A successful bid by PSA would have created the world’s largest ports group. Dubai Ports’ bid has already been cleared by key regulators. ” The key regulators is not only the US, but UK and other countries affected by the merger.

One would think that the Singapore’s PSA purchase, if acceptable to the all-of-a-sudden-national-security-conscious-Congress – would then be concerned with monopoly for their sheer size and power.

4-Government regulatory committees in the UK also had to approve this deal. As a matter of fact, with this merger, the UK, Spain and Canada will have ports that go under DPW management, and Germany and Australia (already DPW ports) will have additional ports added.

There are no objections to this sale in any country other than the US.

It appears that the routine investigations of a company that has been doing business with the US for quite a few years was going on all the time behind the scenes. However Congress was unaware. They did, however, have ample opportunity to know via media outlets and their Port Authority contacts.

That they “didn’t know” isn’t a result of sinister secrecy, but a combination of Congress not paying attention to broadcast news events, the Port Authorities lack of concern, and the CFIUS doing it’s job as it should.

But of late, if the President of VEEP fart, the press and Congress want to be alerted pronto…

Seriously though, the ports deal bothers me because of questions about the review process, not that the deal was being brokered in the first place. When you get various folks in law enforcement or oversight roles (at the PANY/NJ, and MD Gov among others who have law enforcement roles) saying they had no clue about the deal going through, you have to wonder about the level of oversight and security reviews that were undertaken thus far.

Yup. It’s our duty and right to vote. But hang… would be nice to know that those casting ballots havea clue to the details of issues, and aren’t merely responding to a D or R behind a name.

On the Phillie talk show host. If you will remember at the end, Matthews commended him on having the guts to truly speak his mind, and not disguise the issue – as the politicos are doing. That truly made me laugh.

The guy’s like an east coast version of Michael Savage – what was his name? But like Chris, I drew a sign of relief at blunt honesty for a change, even if his beliefs were deplorable. It shows us that too many in the US harbor blanket anti-Arab feelings, and we are well trained in PC to dodge the truth of this bias.