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Posted on 02/22/2006 1:42:25 PM PST by southernnorthcarolina
CHARLOTTE (AP) — When offering her opinion about a deal to sell six major U.S. seaports to a state-owned business in the United Arab Emirates, Rep. Sue Myrick decided a single sentence would be enough to make her point.
"In regards to selling American ports to the United Arab Emirates, not just NO — but HELL NO!" Myrick wrote in a letter sent Wednesday to President Bush.
Aside from the standard greeting — "Dear Mr. President" — and closing — "Sincerely, Sue Myrick, Member of Congress" — that sentence is all the Republican from Charlotte wrote in her letter.
Bush has defended his administration's decision to approve the $6.8 billion sale of London-based Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Co. to Dubai Ports World. Several members of Congress, from both parties, have expressed concerns the sale could increase the possibility of terrorism at American ports.
Bush has promised to veto any bill Congress might approve that would block sale of the British company to the Arab firm, which would take over major shipping operations at ports in New York, New Jersey, Baltimore, New Orleans, Miami and Philadelphia. Dubai Ports has said the company will agree to any security precautions the U.S. government demands to keep the deal alive.
Sue is my Congresswoman. She's rumored to be considering giving up her safe seat to run for the GOP gubernatorial nomination.
Whew, for a minute I thought her smartass, useless and uninformed grandstanding was a political stunt.
Well it is hard to argue with the solid reasoning behind her decision.
With that kind of inane, childish showmanship, she should be running for the head of the DNC.
This juvenile reaction confirms it.
Just what the Republicans need, a narrow minded leap before you look loon.
Oh, put a sock in it, Sue. Your CAFTA vote is going to sink you, no matter how hard you try to appease after the fact.
While I agree with her stance, I think she took a really trashy and low class route to leting the PRESIDENT know how she felt. What has happened to civil discourse when a member of the freaking republican party can cuss the president out? Unfreaking believable.
N.C. ping?
Why can't they ever get this right? Foreign company #1 runs those ports, foreign company #2 bought foreign company #1 and inherits the contracts, which include those ports. The only thing here is that Bush okayed the merger and continuance of the contract.
W could do a better job of explaining and persuading. Keep in mind, he's asking for this on top of his refusal to take our border enforcement seriously.
Selling the ports is a travesty but this classless letter doesn't reflect well on Myrick.
Exactly. How embarrassing.
No, she just wanted to have a moment of attention. Well, on second thought, I guess you're right: it was a smartass, useless and uninformed stunt.
LOL, you're on a roll, stop it, you're killin' me!!!
honestly I don't think many of them were rational in the first place.....
We could be witnessing the beginnings of a split in the GOP, I thought it was inevitable, but this may bring things to a head.
Doubly so due to the fact that ZERO ports are being sold. This is simply the contract for port operations (in Baltimore, for instance, 2 of 12 terminals).
"With that kind of inane, childish showmanship, she should be running for the head of the DNC.
Presisely, the fact that she may be running for governor explains a lot.
"Your CAFTA vote is going to sink you, no matter how hard you try to appease after the fact."
Did she vote for or against CAFTA?
It would be fitting if Haliburton were to buy the UAE company and then they would be the hero.
Since foreign companies already run ports, such as China running LA, wouldn't this bill be a Bill of Attainder based on race?
"Did she vote for or against CAFTA?"
We're in NC. Which do you think would be problematic, here?
The ports are ran by P&O now... which is based in the UK. Why is selling them a travesty?
Nah... no split.... most are too cowardly to lead and the rest have too hard a time following along without being distracted by a noisy dim or a loose headline.
Way to go Sue!
Poor thing must have lost her way or forgot where she was.
It's a loss of orientation thing.
Those objecting to the acquisition of Peninsular & Oriental Steam Navigation Co. of London by Dubai Ports World are displaying irrational fear and political demagoguery. Perhaps they would like to stop all trade with the Middle East, and ban all Arabs from investing in the U.S.? One Arab prince owns millions of shares of Citibank - should he be forced to sell it all right now? Perhaps the morons in Congress would like to stop importing oil from Arab countries? Hey, why not stop all trade with Communist China too?
If anything, the acquisition will bring increased scrutiny to port activities. The sale is in accordance with free enterprise, economic sense, and the rule of current law.
"Which do you think would be problematic, here?"
I guess that means she voted for CAFTA, and if she had voted against it would have been a tie and another expensive trade agreement wouldn't be bringing the third world a little closer to home.
But of course emotive hysteria and political grandstanding is SO much easier then THOUGHT for the Whine All The Time crowd. Hard to determine which is more appalling, the Port Deal foes ignorance or their bigotry.
Except that "foreign Company is OWNED by the government. So in effect it is a contract that ceded those posts to a foreign nation .. and according to the news Bush was clueless on this deal, as were the congress and the senate.
Our enemies do not need to attack us, we will give them anything they want
It is not a buy, it is a lease.
Sorry my man but I just can't get excited about that old time populism. It reeks of small mindedness. It reeks of cowardice. It's just so Al gore.
For the 700th time, P&O is a private company, and British. DPWorld is a STATE-OWNED company, and Arab, and friendly to many of our enemies in the WOT. In fact, we passed on a chance to take out OBL because the royals who own this company were dining with him, and we decided we shouldn't kill them, too.
At this point, I can't say exactly what it is they do. Supporters tend to minimize the involvement to a point where it seems all UAE will do is cash checks we will send to them and not actually do anything. Certainly nothing that could be harmful in any way.
I think it is a fair question to ask what exactly UAE will be doing and in what manner it will interact with any other entity involved with these ports. And is whatever they will be doing actually worth he money they will be getting?
I think it is absolutely stunning that, literally overnight, we are seeing so many Bush defenders suddenly trying to portray themselves as defenders of Islam while calling the other half racist. Thanks for the wedge issue, Bush.
"I guess that means she voted for CAFTA, and if she had voted against it would have been a tie and another expensive trade agreement wouldn't be bringing the third world a little closer to home."
No, she flew into NC on Air Force One with President Bush to talk up CAFTA. She was the only certainty, with everyone else being a firm "hell no" right up until all the eleventh-hour arm twisting. And so, Robin Hayes, not Sue Myrick, got the dubious pleasure of being the tie-breaker.
Don't shoot the messenger. I stated no opinion on Rep. Myrick's letter. I am being fair and balanced here. I report, you decide. LOL.
Sounds like some Congress Critters want to stop ALL foreign-ownership of ports, etc. For this specific deal, I imagine Congress could try to do something before March 2nd deadline - after that, it will be challenged as an illegal bill of attainer - race or not.
We passed on that chance BEFORE 9/11, correct?
Is she related to that whackjob Howard Dean?
But after the embassy bombings.
We knew who he was. And they were dining with him. At his (ahem) hunting camp.
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