As more an more information comes out about this situation, the lousier and lousier it works. The President is proving that SOMETHING is rotten here – and he apparently has no inclination to back down. A partial digest and comments of developments on this one:
First comes this piece from Frank Gaffney’s Center for Security Policy, which lays out the situation as it has been presented, but then adds some even more disturbing information about the deal.
The federal bureaucracy has made a strategic mistake that threatens to cost the President dearly. The question is not whether the ill-advised decision taken last week by the secretive Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (known by its acronym, CFIUS, pronounced syphius) will be undone. Rather, the question is: By whom — and at what political cost to Mr. Bush?
In the latest of a series of approvals of questionable foreign takeovers of American interests, CFIUS has given the green light to a company owned by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to acquire contracts to manage port facilities in New York, Newark, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Miami and New Orleans. The company, Dubai Ports World, would do so by purchasing a British concern, Peninsula and Oriental Steam Navigation Company (“P and O”).
That’s bad enough, but THIS….
…in addition to the six affected ports mentioned above, two others would also have part of their operations managed by DP World — on behalf of none other than the U.S. Army. Under a newly extended contract, the owner of P and O will manage the movement of heavy armor, helicopters and other military materiel through the Texas seaports of Beaumont and Corpus Christie. How much would our enemies like to be able to sabotage such shipments?
YIKES! There’s yet more in Gaffney’s article – check it out!
Carter backs Bush’s stand on seaport-operations deal
With Jimmuh Peanut Carter’s glorious foriegn policy record, his approval of ANY policy is enough to give one cold chills. One supposes that he sees this policy as a logical extension of his giving away the Panama Canal. Hmmmm. He may be right, which is even MORE reason why this deal should be killed off!
W aides’ biz ties to Arab firm
The NY Daily News reports here on ties of two Bush appointees to the companies in question in this deal. Of course there’s really no connection here, right? If you think there isn’t, please e-mail me about some great tropical beach property I have here in Moody County, SD.
Bush Shrugs Off Objections to Port Deal
Brushing aside objections from Republicans and Democrats alike, President Bush endorsed the takeover of shipping operations at six major U.S. seaports by a state-owned business in the United Arab Emirates. He pledged to veto any bill Congress might approve to block the agreement.
WTF? Bush hasn’t vetoed one single bill to date! He signed off on the McCain-Feingold First Amendment Anullment Act Campaign Finance Reform Act. So what’s the real deal all of a sudden on why THIS one is so vitally important to him that he would make it into a goal-line defense situation.
Methinks this doth smell strongly of old, dead fish!
And finally, the normally supine and compliant GOP congressional leadership has even woken up and smelled the coffee, and has left the Administration’s reservation:
Frist to Offer Bill Halting U.S. Port Deal
Senate Republican Leader Bill Frist called Tuesday for the Bush administration to stop a deal permitting a United Arab Emirates company to take over six major U.S. seaports, upping the ante on a fight that several congressmen, governors and mayors are waging with the White House. “The decision to finalize this deal should be put on hold until the administration conducts a more extensive review of this matter,” said Frist. “If the administration cannot delay this process, I plan on introducing legislation to ensure that the deal is placed on hold until this decision gets a more thorough review.”
House Speaker asks moratorium on Dubai port deal
U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Dennis Hastert wrote to President Bush on Tuesday asking for a moratorium on an Arab company’s takeover of operations at six major U.S. seaports. “I believe there should be an immediate moratorium placed on this seaport deal in order to further examine its effects on our port security,” Hastert said in the letter, a copy of which was released to the media.
When even the GOP moderate center gets concerned, be worried, very worried.