Posted on 02/26/2006 5:18:03 AM PST by JackQuickFrost
LEXINGTON, Ky. - U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist said Saturday night that after recent briefings, he is now comfortable with an Arab-owned company running port security for six American cities and backed off a pledge to pass legislation to stop the deal.
But Frist, a Tennessee Republican who was in Lexington for a state GOP dinner, told reporters that the next few days will be crucial for other members of Congress to press intelligence officials about the details of such an arrangement.
"My comfort level is good, but I have 99 other United States senators who need the opportunity to ask their questions," he said before speaking to 900 Kentucky Republicans at Lexington Center.
"We're behind the president 100 percent. We believe the decision in all likelihood is absolutely the right one," Frist added.
Last weekend, it became public that the Bush administration had approved the sale of a port operations company to Dubai Ports World.
On Tuesday, Frist initially criticized the move and threatened legislation to stop it. Friday, aides to Frist told The Washington Post that he would wait to be briefed by the company before taking a stand. He said Saturday night that many of his fears were allayed by briefings by his aides.
While he said Saturday night that legislation may not be necessary now, he said having "30 to 45 days" to step back and evaluate the deal still could be necessary. A first deadline comes Thursday when the contract with Dubai Ports World is expected to be consummated.
"If there's some question about the diagnosis, then maybe we need to get a second opinion,"said Frist, a former heart surgeon.
Frist, following a host of Kentucky Republican politicians, then went on to give a stock political speech with an angle toward the 2006 elections to the audience who paid $75 per plate to attend Saturday night's statewide Lincoln Day Dinner. Scores of them also wrote $1,000 checks for a pre-dinner reception. All the money goes into the Kentucky Republican Party's coffers.
Frist hammered on the notion that grass-roots efforts must be the GOP's strength.
The Kentucky Democratic Party, in a pre-emptive strike, issued a statement Friday saying Frist had "failed the American people" by allowing "tax cuts for the wealthy, record deficits and I outsourcing of American jobs overseas."
Frist included his own dig at Democrats in his remarks. "What do they really believe? What do they really stand for? Do they really know where they're going?" he asked. "That's the difference between us and them."
Other top Kentucky GOP officials, including Senate President David Williams and House minority leader Jeff Hoover, rallied the faithful in preparation for this fall's legislative election.
And as they took turns at the podium, the health of Gov. Ernie Fletcher became a recurring topic. He is recovering from pancreatitis and the removal of his gallbladder and did not attend.
U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell noted that he spoke with Fletcher by phone Saturday and said, "He sounded strong."
First lady Glenna Fletcher then read to the crowd a lengthy letter written by the governor that largely echoed his statewide policy speech last month.
One notable addition, however, got some chuckles. "Working with partisan Democrats has been bitter, but I didn't realize it was having such an effect on my gallbladder," Glenna Fletcher read.
Too bad the MAJORITY LEADER of the Senate couldn't do his homework before his Presidential ambitions decided he needed to get infront of a camera.
Don't waste your time and money running for the Oval Office Frist, ain't gonna happen.
You are 100 percent correct!!!!!!!! In fact that is the smartest thing I have heard in awhile. The Majority Leader is certainly allowed to disagree with the President anytime he fells he needs to, BUT when he gets in front of the camera and spreads bad information than that is when he crossed the line. This was another misstep in his horrible leadership tenure. If only he would have kept his opinion to himself and made a sound decision once he had all the facts than he would have been better off and so would the country. Too bad he is not a freeper. He could have used his venting on the website and then learned from it and made a reasonable decision after getting the facts from us...Talk about a flip flopper (Look I am on this issue also, but he seems to be doing this a lot!!!!! Plus, I don't hold any office and he supposedly does)
Mine too! Kinda like the morning I woke to see "W" standing there with Harriet Myers. I remember the lump in my throat moving to my stomach and finally ending up in the back of my shorts.
I saw Hannity live here in Pittsburgh yesterday. He mentioned the ports deal briefly, still with the indication that he was opposed to it, but didn't dwell on the issue. I'll be interested to see how his view progresses in the coming days.
ALL of Congress looked rediculous last week.
I am surprised that as many as 17% of Americans are not ignorant to the facts.
One would think these Republicans would get tired of being twisted and turned by the liberal mind. Come on, this is the same bunch that tried everything to save Saddam, and now they pretend to be worried about our security.
Agree. They're becoming a national embarrassment.
I think this saying about the DEMS is appropriate...
"A broken clock is right at least twice a day."
I can't get behind this just because the Dems are against it.
Not that I know of, all of them knee jerkingly spoke and got their information from the MSM, instead of researching it themselves.
Which is exactly why the GOP seemingly grew a pair with this issue. The truth is once again the are following the lead of the dems who understood from the outset how to manipulate the fear of the voters by whipping them into a frenzy.
Either misleading or an outright lie... An Arab-owned company will be runing port operations, not security. This is why this issue cannot be fairly discussed. Too many people won't talk about the real issue. It is too much fun to carry it to extremes so no one has to think.
Frist doesn't know what time it is.
Too early. It takes at least a half hour for him to run through his standard "we are the best, the most comprehensive, blah ... blah ... blah" spiel followed by lengthy blurbs telling us what he is going to tell us when he finally tells us. I have enjoyed his broadcasts since his first day in Atlanta but he is becoming more and more a shill for himself.
Put me down for Wednesday, 3:36 EST.
Doh!
Well, what do you know? Frist waffled? I'm shocked.
Nothing to see here, move along.
Well Jimmy Got to give away the Panama canal, now George throws them the ports, and the next time lets hope its California.
Frist just plain sucks.
>>>Even something like 61% of the American people don't know that foreign firms already operate container terminals.<<<
How many muslim firms operate American ports?
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