Posted on 03/05/2006 11:56:35 AM PST by wagglebee
House Armed Services Committee chairman Duncan Hunter blasted former President Clinton on Sunday for advising the Dubai government on how to overcome U.S. opposition to its purchase of some operations at U.S. ports.
Appearing on ABC's "This Week," Hunter told host George Stephanopoulos: "In our hearing just two days ago, your former boss, President Clinton, was referred to by the president of the ports [company] as having made a phone call to the Emir of Dubai."
Hunter noted that the Emir "is the sole stockholder and the director of this company and President Clinton gave him advice on who he should hire to get this deal through."
The California Republican reminded the "This Week" audience a second time of the host's Clinton connection, telling Stephanopoulos: "I don't think President Clinton - your old boss - knows the facts of the transshipments that take place through Dubai, sending nuclear components to all parts of the world - especially to people who don't like America."
Springing to Clinton's defense, Stephanopoulos noted that his old boss had issued a statement supporting a ban on foreign management of U.S. ports.
But a few moments later, Hunter again invoked Clinton's involvement, saying it undercut Democratic efforts to play politics with the ports issue:
"I think that the fact that President Clinton now is on record - at least in our hearing, according to the CEO of Dubai Ports World Corporation - as advising the Emir on how to make this deal go through, I think that makes it difficult for the Democrats to get partisan leverage," he told the former Clinton communications director.
No you idiot, the Clintonistas just opposed deals where they weren't getttin paid off.
Or, they oppposed it when they got caught. hmm.
I certainly hope the Clintons are being monitored as part of the anti-terrorist surveillance program.
Clinton even pushed Joe Lockhart, another Clintonista, for the PR job.
Lemme guess who needs to get money for foreigners to be sold things...
Silly Emir! He forgot to include a check for Hillary.
Other Sheiks, Emirs, Commie Spies, Drug Dealers, Pimps, Bed Jumpers, Fugitives take note!
BUMP
What is Duncan Hunter drinking or smoking.
It is easy as pie for the Dems to get partisan leverage on this issue. For one they have Duncan Hunter blocking for them and they own the MSM. The fact that Clinton is on both sides of this issue is just "triangulation". Remember the Clinton definition of The Truth: It's the lie I'm telling today not the one I told yesterday.
Is Clinton registered as an advisor to this company as he is supposed to be – can anyone find out? His monetary gains must be interesting.
Maybe he doesn't realize it; but he is pointing out just how crooked the Clintons really are.
I wouldn't doubt the "biggest" crtics(gaffney, weiner(savage)) of DPWorld's terminal operations are actually in cahoots with the clinton's especially with their silence on the clintons/schumer antics. Heck weiner(savage) might as well be wearing a blue dress when he talks about schumer these days.
Also about Hunter, he seems to be standing on principle but is, IMO, woefully ignorant of the UAE's role in the WOT.
Who am I going to believe, a grandstanding congressman who does not acknowledge the role the UAE has played since 9/11, or a a Gen.(Tommy Franks) whao has actually dealt with the UAE since 9/11.
I'll go with the General.
Schumer ally is port company's new lobbyist
BY TOM BRUNE AND GLENN THRUSH
NEWSDAY WASHINGTON BUREAU
February 24, 2006
WASHINGTON -- Days after Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) first attacked the Dubai Ports World U.S. seaport deal, the multibillion-dollar company hired a new lobbyist: former Long Island congressman Tom Downey, the senator's close friend and Democratic Senate campaign fundraising partner.
Now the Downey McGrath Group Inc. has joined powerful Washington law firm Alston & Bird and British public-relations firm Bell Pottinger in an attempt to calm the firestorm.
How DPW chose Downey is a classic example of how Washington works, experts say.
On Feb. 14, the day after a Schumer press release first criticized the deal, Downey and President Bill Clinton's former environmental chief, Carol Browner, paid a visit to the senator's office to talk with staff.
Browner is a principal in the Albright Group founded by former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, which advises DPW on its business in China, the firm said. And Downey's firm lists the Albright Group as a client.
The visit was unofficial, not to lobby, said Kathleen Tynan McLaughlin, a Downey firm officer. And the Albright Group said it doesn't lobby.
But Schumer spokesman Israel Klein suggested they did lobby, saying, "After Sen. Schumer first criticized this deal, Browner and Downey came in to meet with our staff and they were unpersuasive."
Browner and Downey also tried unsuccessfully to lobby House Homeland Security chairman Peter King (R-Seaford), a Capitol Hill source said.
McLaughlin said the two left Schumer's office thinking the issue would get bigger and that DPW needed a lobbyist. And, she said, the Albright Group recommended Downey to DPW.
McLaughlin said that last week "the guy who runs DPW said, 'We're going to put you on our books as of Monday.'
He's trying to say that because Bill Clinton is so much FOR the UAE getting the deal, the Dems will sound false for trying to use the deal against Bush and Republicans. I don't agree with him because the media and the Clintons and the dems will just muddy the water so that the truth won't get through.
Link about gives you the facts about Port Security.
Of course Duncan is a pillar of rabid ignorance on the Port Deal himself. Dubai is a transhipment point for many things. MOST of the "Nuclear Technologies" he gets so hyper hysteric about are simply MACHINES that have multiple uses. To blame the Freight Handler to what the SHIPPER shipped, is more deliberate lying by the Port Deal Hysterics. We scan 100% of our containers for Radiation so all this disingenuous demagoguery trying to draw mushroom clouds around the Port Deal is childish
What Schumer's staff means by "unpersuasive" is Chucky got offered more from the Labor Unions for fighting this then the Lobby firm offered him to shut up.
We do not scan 100% of our containers. Not even close and you know it because it's been pointed out dozens of times. Provide your link or stop saying it. Is that the only way you can win your arguement, by distorting.
Leading the effort to block COSCO from the facility were Sen. James M. Inhofe, R-OK, and Reps. Duncan Hunter and Randy "Duke" Cunningham, both San Diego-area Republicans. They and their conservative colleagues asserted that Chinese Communists could use the former base for military purposes and intelligence-gathering....Port officials and COSCO supporters disputed that contention citing two recent Department of Defense reports show that the shipping line does not present a national security threat to the United States.
"COSCO has a long and very troubling record of shipping both weapons and components of mass destruction around the world," said Hunter. "For all practical purposes, COSCO is the merchant marine of the Chinese military. As a result, they carry the cargo of the Chinese military upon command and without question. We do not need to increase their access to American soil."
The pro-COSCO forces lost ground in the debate because of controversies surrounding the export of U.S. satellites to China and alleged Chinese political contributions to President Clinton and the Democratic Party....
"Our concern is that at some point in the future, if relations were to turn sour because of our mutually opposed interests, that COSCO, being an arm of the government and the military, would be in a position to do damage to us through espionage, smuggling and otherwise carrying out the agenda of the Chinese military," said Harald Stavenas, press secretary to Hunter.
I am still pretty amazed that this deal went through. Yet nobody seems a bit worried about it. Isn't the bottomline, though, that we should be able to maintain some sort of firewall or protection from nefarious acts by foreign-owned operators whether they come from China or the UAE? Can't it be done?
Where is the evidence for this new accusation? Hunter is on Armed Services so he has no "inside information". He is also under NO "Security Mute" since he is the one out shopping this new story to the press. So, where is the EVIDENCE? Sounds like Hunter is merely out shopping the newest hearsay and hurmor he got faxed to him. Where is the PROOF? Considering the number of lies and mistatements make by the Port Deal Hysterics, their credibility is in tatters. From now now their WORD is expected to be another lie until they prove different.
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