Posted on 03/06/2006 2:48:35 PM PST by Theodore R.
White House Retreat John LeBoutillier Monday, March 6, 2006
Several sources over the weekend reveal that the Bush White House has realized that the ports deal is killing them politically - and thus they need a new strategy.
Accordingly, probably through the recently-retained lobbyist for Dubai Ports World, former Senator Bob Dole, the White House has told Dubai Ports World to "partner up" with an American company to manage the port terminals. In other words, find a "front company" to act as if they own and run these 21 crucial terminals.
First out of the box for this "front" role is Halliburton, but that might entail too much controversy so that won't do either.
So as the new week begins - and Bush's ratings among Republicans and conservatives continues to fray - the White House is still trying to resuscitate this ports deal. And until and unless they cut the cord and realize it will never pass political muster, this White House is committing daily political suicide.
The longer it goes on - and we will hear new things this week now that the president is back from the sub-continent - the more it divides the GOP.
Today there is genuine fear up on Capitol Hill that the House of Representatives could indeed change hands in November. Why? Because the crucial Republican base is so unhappy over this ports deal and illegal immigration that it may just not vote in heavy numbers in November. And if that base vote stays at home, a number of GOP congressmen - and senators, too - may lose.
The White House - slow to realize how perilous their situation is - is just now waking up to political - and legal - reality. Legal?!
Yes. If the Democrats win even one house of Congress back, they will have subpoena power and the power to run massive investigations into the Bush administration.
You can be certain they will launch inquiries into every aspect of the Bush presidency: Iraq, energy deals, spying, torture, money matters, cozy corporate deals and on and on.
Make no mistake about it: If they can, they will impeach President Bush. Why? A) Because they hate him; B) Because it will juice up their supporters; and C) Payback for the Clinton impeachment.
All of this has just now dawned on an asleep-at-the-switch White House political operation. In fact, the Karl Rove-led political shop has been off its game since the 2004 re-election. Why? Perhaps the tick-tick-tick, drip-drip-drip of the ongoing Valerie Plame investigation is distracting and wearing.
For those of you who may not follow this, the Patrick Fitzgerald grand jury has been meeting every Wednesday and Friday mornings at 9:30 a.m. - ostensibly to do ‘read-ins' of prior grand jury testimony.
The target?
Karl Rove - for lying and perjury. Rove knows this and must be worried sick over it. And thus his job performance is suffering because of it.
No wonder the Cheney shooting problem was allowed to eat up an entire week; no wonder this ports deal was not vetted properly.
The Bush White House has lost touch with 60 percent of the country. And you can't run a country this way.
We are entering a period in our political life when there is no center, where things are spiraling off into all areas in an uncontrolled way.
There is no ‘strong' figure in our political life. The President has quickly ruined his presidency and become even more than a lame duck; he is a crippled duck.
There is no telling how this vacuum will be filled. Will it be one of the candidates now running for president? Or will it be by someone new to us all - a "new" and refreshing face - who rides in to clean the mess up?
ping
Halliburton!
Ywan, Bush hater john leboutillier, spewing know nothing nonsense, has been for the last 5 years and he has always been wrong.
I'm sorry to say this is pretty much true. The Cheney business was a bunch of nonsense, but the ports deal is sticking. My wife was reading me a piece on it from our local paper, and you can imagine what it said. Basically, that stupid Bush doesn't give a damn about American security. People will be spreading this story all over, and unlike the Cheney affair it will stick.
Maybe it's not too late to pull this out of the fire. But a lot of damage has been done. And it doesn't matter a damn whether the UAE can be trusted to run the ports, as some Freepers have argued. It has badly undermined Bush on his strongest point: that he can be relied on to defend the country.
I wouldn't disagree about the immigration issue - the administration has been tone deaf on this all along.
Several sources over the weekend reveal that the Bush White House has realized that the ports deal is killing them politically
You are correct on both points: he is an acknowledged Bush hater and he is always wrong.
Had an unpleasant e-mail exchange with him where he basically admitted he hates the Bush family. Negative, negative person.
Don't flame me because I'm just playing devil's advocate, but if the President hasn't done anything wrong, what does he have to worry about?
I wouldn't disagree about the immigration issue - the administration has been tone deaf on this all along.
Thank you!!! You said it before I could.
"Ywan, Bush hater john leboutillier, spewing know nothing nonsense, has been for the last 5 years and he has always been wrong."
Dane, thanks for posting the reality of this spewing pos, who hated GW before he became president and ever after.
This clown is one of the main reasons I pulled the plug on Newsmax.com in 2004.
Republican congressmen and senators are writing their own ticket, not the President. Their lackluster performance on everything from spending to social security reform is their political problem...not the White House.
But if this spin helps stupid, frightened people save face so be it.
We can't concede all the stupid, frightened vote to the Dems!
We'll see. Bush is right on the port issue. But he allowed others to incorrectly frame the issue. So now there's this confusion out there between those who know the issue and those who don't and the dems are making pts with those who don't. The admin has not educated the public properly. Big unnecessary fiasco in my view.
On the port deal they either need to pull out all the stops in defense of it and slaughter their opponents on it for being inept and illinformed or bail. Bush started out by pulling out the stops himself but didn't have a plan to followup and get the public behind it. He shouldn't have to be personally the only one doing the heavy lifting. Maintaining the existing status quo is not getting them anywhere IMO.
What precisely is a "Bush-hater?"
Is there some specific critique pertaining to this administration's public policies that is beyond the pale, which renders such criticism automatically null and void?
I really am curious as to what someone has to do to earn that particular descriptor.
If it was not for the flagrant disregard of our immigration laws and total lack of enforcement of same, this ports controversy would be over by now. It is the combination of failure to protect our borders along with the total mishandling of the Ports deal (which probably is not detrimental to our security) that has just turned off many thousands of conservatives and they may not come back in the next election. It is difficult to trust this administration when they refuse to enforce the laws and show total incompetence in handling the release of the news on the transfer of the British company to Arab ownership. Of course, the mishandling of Katrina also figures in all this.
See: LeBoutillier archives.
What precisely is a "Bush-hater?"
I would suggest one that is operated by female, handicapped and gay people.
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