Posted on 02/22/2006 10:59:54 AM PST by presidio9
As the political firestorm was building over the Bush administration's decision to hand over control of six major U.S. ports to a company based in the United Arab Emirates, Sen. Joseph Lieberman was urging caution.
"Dubai and the United Arab Emirates are allies of ours in the war on terrorism," the Connecticut Democrat said, in little noticed comments three days ago on ABC's "This Week."
"So I don't think we want to just because it's a Dubai company, even owned by the government, we want to exclude them from doing business here," he added.
Lieberman reminded: "The more you look at it, the fact is that a lot of terminals in America are already owned not ports, terminals owned by foreign companies."
The former vice presidential candidate's position contrasted sharply with other members of his party - like Sens. Hillary Clinton and Charles Schumer - who immediately saw the ports deal as an opportunity to undermine the President Bush's image of strength in the war on terror. But Lieberman insisted that the Dubai deal did nothing to increase the vulnerabilities of an already under-protected U.S. ports system.
"The truth is I worry more about the failure to invest enough in port security in America through the Homeland Security Department to detect dangerous items, WMD, coming in here than I worry right now about this, this sale," he told "This Week."
Yeah, they do seem to write up things that are already expressed elsewhere...like in FR, don't they?
But this is the first I've heard of Lieberman's remarks!!! Thanks for posting this.
Its a sad day when it takes a dem to see through the cBS fog of this issue.. there is so much bs out there about this whole deal.. yet it only takes a few minutes on Google to prove it wrong..
This is true. Now, if Congress wants to rewrite the law so that no foreignor or Muslim can do business at the ports or airports that's another story but UAE is one of our better allies and neither they nor Pres. Bush have done anything wrong.
He is one of the few Dems I have any regard for.
Viagra Bob Dole was just reported to lobby for approval of UAE takeover. When this hits the print the headline should read DOLE TO LOBBY, BUSH'S POSITION TO STIFFEN.
lol
I like Newsmax, but they have the worst headline writers ever.
I do too. What Bush needs to do is set up the chairs in one of the big rooms at the White HOuse summon every Republican Rep and Senators tonight and give them the facts of life on this situation. Great PR move and it would look like he trying to get the situation under control.
I was in both Abu Dhabi and Dubia.
It was very, very safe, clean and very westernized, up to a point.
The UAE is the most US-Friendly state in the middle east with lots and I mean lots of US companies doing business there.
But I also know that although the population may like America and Americans,they are muslim and 'infidels' must never trust them.
I heard all kinds of support for the cartoon protesters while I was there.
Islamo-terrorist infiltration into legitimate UAE/US businesses is a real threat.
By the time Bush knew about this the deal had already been inked.
Joe Liberman, would it not be for the 'fringe element', be a major and positive factor for the RAT's. Seems a man of opinion through reason, decides based on facts.
Thankfully he is a very lonely Senator, floating in the sea of hatred that has become the Democratic party.
Keep up the great work Dean & Soro's.
Lieberman's ok with it, that's swell. But how about Al Gore?
Just because I hired a pedophile to paint my house does not mean I have to give him time alone with my kid as payment...ya know? There are plenty of other ways to show our appreciation for whatever actions the UAE has taken on our behalf in the GWOT.
That said, I am still looking for a list of exactly what powers they will obtain once this deal goe through. Not the heresay, not the hyperbole. Something tells me it is not as bad as it sounds.
It seems to me that its a red herring argument that's offered here with Dubai -- that some of the 9/11 hijackers came through Dubai doesn't mean the government is complicit or that this specific company is complicit. This is analagous to saying that because we arrested 3 terrorists in Ohio yesterday, for plotting to kill Americans and more, we should stop having any interstate commerce with the state of Ohio.
Hint: Maybe the "magnitude" is not as great as Senator Clinton would have you believe. Contrary to every MSM report I have seen, DPW's role as port manager does not place them in charge of "security." We have the US Coast Guard and Customs Agents for that.
the UAE does plenty of business in the US. they own parts of many US companies, on yesterday's threads it was pointed out that they own some prominent manhattan real estate. so what, no one is complaining about that.
but do we have to give them this ports contract to keep them as an ally? why is the ports contract a "must have" for the UAE, else they become our enemy?
let's use the manhattan real estate as an example. they own some prominent manhattan real estate, no one said a word about that. however, if tommorrow, they tried to buy the WTC site from Silverstein, would we allow it? of course we wouldn't, and that has nothing to do with them owning other places in Manhattan.
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