Posted on 02/23/2006 10:36:41 AM PST by mathprof
I think it IS that black and white.
I was already concerned about Charles Krauthammer's argument that the UAE company would have to know all our security procedures even if they weren't implementing them. Then I learned that this UAE company handles shipping in countries all over the world. So my thought is, now this company will be familiar with security on both ends of a shipment (and it might be non-existent in some countries), and an Islamic terrorist in the right place can then tell his fellow terrorists, "here's how to get past all the security".
ANY large Arab organization is at risk to knowingly or unknowingly harbor terrorists. Such an organization should not be given a contract that allows them access to security information where such access could pose a threat. You can just about bet there are, at minimum, al-Qaeda sympathizers within the Dubais outfit.
That's not Islamophobia, it's not America's fault, it's a fact brought about by Muslim terrorists all over the world. Am I being anti-black when I go into a large city and avoid black neighborhoods? No, I'm simply recognizing the facts and dealing with them.
The worst of it is, opinion is opinion, and I think this is George Bush's final straw. This issue will allow the Democrats to attack Republicans (however hypocritically) on security. I believe that, barring some unforeseen event or a huge blunder by the Democrats, WHOEVER they run in '08 will defeat whoever the Republicans run. This is a no-win issue for Bush and he should have recognized that in the beginning.
He certainly implied it by accusing people of holding a Middle Eastern company to different standards than, say, the British.
Incidentally, this sounds a lot like the counter-attack against the dump-Harriet-Miers movement, sending out Laura to declare her husbands critics mysogynists.
When he claimed that Britian and the UAE were essentially the same and that a middle eat country should not be held to a different standard, the message was clear.
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.
Yep. It will be old news within a week.
The Coast Guard doesn't have the slightest concern about this deal.
Everyone directly involved in the U.S. maritime industry is confused over this whole tempest in the teapot.
People directly involved with port security see no problem whatsoever.
The Military Sealift Command, the people responsible for moving military logistics at sea approve because of their direct experience with the operator.
This is far less about the President being stubborn and more about hysteria that's a whole lot about nothing.
i for one admire him for his ability to make and stand by his own decisions no matter how unpopular they are. that's leadership to me
As Arab countries go, the UAE is top drawer.
But putting them in charge of our ports right now, post 911, while our guys are still in the field, while Bin Ladin (or his ghost) is still issueing taped messages, while Tehran is threatening nuclear war against one and all, to do this right now is political suicide. And its political suicide in an unworthy cause.
And as others have noted, there is no way back; either he insults a friendly power, or he gets pasted by members of his own party. Either way he is going to lose this one, and its going to be embarrassing.
He should never have let it get this far.
I don't call them like I see them, I call them like they are.
Why? Is he going to push the shamnesty next month?
"I was already concerned about Charles Krauthammer's argument that the UAE company would have to know all our security procedures even if they weren't implementing them."
which column is this from, could you give me a link?
thanks
Some of us don't take everything at face value. That way, we don't end up buying bridges in Brooklyn.
You think Bush is infallible? Fine. Don't insult those of us who see a severe conflict of interest in turning over major port operations to the United Arab Emirates.
Maybe we should start allowing those direct flights from Tehran to New York, too... we wouldn't want to be... ahem ... precautionary.
Bush doesn't owe me an apology. He needs to stick to his guns because this is the right thing to do.
The AAE company, by your own admission, has operatiosn around the world and knows the ins & outs of shipping. What is stopping them, or has stopped them, from smuggling something to the US???? They know the biz, the security, it would be easy, in your scenario, for them to ship a bomb from China to the US.
Why would they spend 6 billion to buy a port to fullfill their terrorist fantasy when they could easily do it now???
Did you know that a great deal of the supplies going to our troops "still in the field" are going through a port they already manage?
Did you know that our U.S. Navy uses that port with a complete sense of security?
So, was Meirs leadership too?
but...but...you're just an anti arab knee-jerker
/MAJOR sarcasm
When the Bush administration is resorting to every left-wing trick in the book to attack the same people that elected him...well, it's not a good thing. And the defenders of this administration just get more hysterical and nasty with each gaffe that they are forced to defend.
No, its going to dry up as the non-story it deserves to be.
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