Posted on 02/23/2006 10:36:41 AM PST by mathprof
PRESIDENT Bush is now putting his en tire presidency at risk, thanks to incompetence by his staff — and his own I-know-best stubbornness on the port furor.
Bush has landed fellow Republicans in Congress with a nightmare choice: They can create a diplomatic incident by blocking the United Arab Emirates takeover of ports like New York, or they can commit political suicide.
"No member of Congress is going to risk a TV ad run by their opponent showing Arab street thugs burning American flags and waving AK-47s superimposed over port icons like the Statue of Liberty," says a veteran Republican strategist.
No wonder both House and Senate Republicans yesterday predicted that Bush will lose big-time if he tries to veto a bill to block the port takeover — every Democrat will vote to override his veto and so will most or all Republicans.
"If the president vetoes it and the veto is overridden, it certainly is going to weaken his presidency," said House Homeland Security chairman Peter King (R-L.I.), normally one of Bush's top go-to guys in Congress.
Said independent pollster Scott Rasmussen: "Even through the worst political storms of his administration, the president's national security credentials have been his trump card. I am surprised he is risking those credentials on this issue."
Yes, the UAE feels insulted. But Bush is stoking the flames by claiming only anti-Arab bigots oppose the takeover.
Unfortunately for Bush, the UAE isn't likely to do a Miers and voluntarily withdraw to protect him. And Republicans aren't going to commit political suicide.
He is out on a limb — and busy sawing it off all by himself.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
DESPITE me?
I voted for him both times Wizard.
I get "you're really a Republican pretending to be an Independent" from Libs - it's "you're a Lib pretending to be an Independent" from your set.
With guys like you on their side how can Independents resist becoming Republicans - I know, because we're really Dems trying to infiltrate and destroy!
Great attitude. Sure formula for victory.
LOL! That's what most third party types always say...every election cycle.
I am with you 100 percent.
Best thing that could happen is for Congress to pass a bill outlawing any such ownership of any port management company that is not American owned, American-company owned or American-government owned.
Throw out the Brits, Chinese, etc. who are running our ports too.
No one here on this forum can realistically say that this sale to the Dubai firm would not compromise our security. The argument can not be made. The counterargument is automatically plausible: a muslim country owning such a company would potentially compromise our port security.
So, to be on the safe side, turf out the UAE. If you don't want to be called a redneck or Islamophobe, then, throw out the Brits and Chinese too. And whoever else is foreign. To hell with all of them. It's 2006, not 2000. Tough toenails about your BS global trade.
Reason: National security. After 9/11, that's the way it should be.
Also, Mr. President: While you are at it tightening up American port security, why not do your job and close the Mexican and Canadian Borders.
Deport illegals, all of them.
Stop approval seeking from all the internationalists and globalist touchie-feelies. Act like a President.
Bush, bushbots: stop giving away the farm to foreigners. P.S.: They hate our guts, in case you haven't noticed.
This dilemma ("nightmare choice") of these politicians just illuminates the power of the never-ending ignorance of too many citizens.
Pssssssst...there are no American owned companies that provide these services in the U.S. That leaves you with doing to our ports what Amtrak did for the railroad.
"The final straw for me has been the ports issue."
The final straw? I read some of your posts over the last year and you seem to have had several "final straws".
If only Buchanan or some other "true" conservative had been elected President we would never have started a war in iraq, FEMA would have handled katrina flawlesly, and our military would have somehow figured out an effective defense for improvised explosive devices. What morons we all are for voting for Bush.
Thanks for exposing my ignorance.
PresidentFelon
LOL! And immediately following 9/11 we would have launched a retaliatory strike against Israel.
This is Kafkaesque.
No matter what I say this fellow is gonna come back with "you Independent liar!".
It took the Liberals a while to lose their smirk - after they got pasted - now we have the Repub version with Laughing Boy here.
LOL LOL LOL
The smirking liberal laughing boys who showed up and started running things is the reason I left the Dems and became an Independent.
People like Chief Laughing Boy are the reason I don't join the Republicans.
By the way, if you're a Chief Warrant Officer, Bush is your boss.
Now you're talking. And it is not discrimination. It is fitting to advocate what you say, because they espouse the forceful overthrow of the US government, and the slaughter of the American people, to further their agenda. Think I am kidding? Just ask one of them or read their stuff. They are remarkably open about it.
People don't think they mean it, but, believe me, they mean it.
>>>"Like I said, this whole thing is stupid, stupid, stupid. Worse for Bush than the Miers fiasco."
I agree. It's Harriet Miers SQUARED.
Bush needs to cut back on his exercising and pick his issues better. He's going to sink all Republicans and conservatives on election day if he he keeps this up.
I'm glad to see all the Harriet Miers supporters actively posting again.
Um, muslims who are not U.S. citizens cannot do many of these things for national security reasons (and the others only with a work visa) - but they will be running our ports.
That would pretty much sum up the whole third party threat ever election cycle.
"People like Chief Laughing Boy are the reason I don't join the Republicans."
LOL! And you were the one who said don't blame your election loss on us (every election cycle). Well don't blame your disfunctional politics on me.
"By the way, if you're a Chief Warrant Officer, Bush is your boss."
LOL! Ah, it must come as a real shock to you that the Commander in Chief can't tell anyone how to vote.
This is garbage. Bush can veto, get overridden, and this will be forgotten two weeks later.
Pass the law, and many more American jobs will be created on Bush's watch.
Plus, if the ports run like Amtrak, then, we don't have to worry about any lightning-fast attacks by terrorists.
Snail pace at best. Pick them out of the water at our convenience.
And it would probably be good for our balance of trade.
Slow down the zillion Chinese ships a day from coming in so fast to American ports and offloading their junk and it would only help our trade deficit.
Late
How will any more jobs be created?
There aren't any U.S. companies in this business? You pass the law and that leaves NO ONE to take over the businesses except the federal government. Ah...I see your point, we create a whole new class of government employee and cripple our economy at the same time. Good idea.
Yes, the Miers business was very depressing here in the forum. So many people backing Bush, no matter what, and making all sorts of personal attacks on anyone who disagreed.
But it's not doing Bush any favors to stand by and watch him make a big mistake. Even the best of us make mistakes. Real friends owe it to a friend to speak up and tell him the truth, if possible. You're not doing the President any favors if you stand by and let him destroy himself and the party and weaken the country in the process.
Roger that. I'm embarrassed by the intellect, if it can be called that, of the people we've elected to represent us. Ignoramuses and lawyers.
Wow. The term "drama queen" comes to mind. Remember how critical the Terry Schiavo case was, less than a year ago? It's over 8 months before the next election and this issue will be long forgotten.
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