Posted on 03/10/2006 8:16:05 PM PST by crushelits
President Bush said Friday the collapse of the Dubai ports deal could hurt U.S. efforts to recruit Mideast governments as partners in the worldwide war on terror.
Separately, in what may have been an aftershock to the failed transaction, a new round of trade talks between the U.S. and the United Arab Emirates was postponed.
On Thursday, Dubai-based DP World backed away in the face of unrelenting criticism and announced it would transfer its management of port terminals in major U.S. cities to an American entity.
Bush struck a defiant tone Friday with the Republican-led Congress whose new willingness to buck him has taken its most dramatic form with the ports controversy.
The president said he was open to improving the government's method of reviewing such transactions, but he insisted his administration's approval of the deal had posed no security risk — and that the reversal could have the opposite effect.
"I'm concerned about a broader message this issue could send to our friends and allies around the world, particularly in the Middle East," said Bush during an appearance before a conference of the National Newspaper Association. "In order to win the war on terror, we have got to strengthen our friendships and relationships with moderate Arab countries in the Middle East."
The United Arab Emirates, of which Dubai is a part, is just such a country, Bush said.
Dubai services more U.S. military ships than any other country, shares useful intelligence about terrorists and helped shut down a global black-market nuclear network run by Pakistani nuclear scientist A.Q. Khan, the administration says. This week, though, the State Department's annual human rights report called the UAE's performance "problematic," citing floggings as punishment for adultery or drug abuse.
The president said he would now have to work to shore up the U.S. relationship with the UAE and explain to Congress and the public why it's a valuable one.
"UAE is a committed ally in the war on terror," he said.
En route Friday to a presidential inauguration in Chile, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice echoed Bush. The failed ports deal "means that we are going to have to work and double our efforts to send a strong message that we value our allies, our moderate allies, in the Middle East," she said.
Thursday's action spared Bush an embarrassing showdown, which he seemed likely to lose, over the veto he had threatened of any attempt by Congress to block the transaction.
After weeks of questions from lawmakers of both parties about whether giving a state-owned company from an Arab country control of significant port operations could increase terrorist dangers, the silence from Republicans on Friday was telling. The only statements came from Democrats who sought to keep the issue alive.
Sen. Charles Schumer (news, bio, voting record), D-N.Y., a chief critic of the Dubai deal, said lawmakers needed more detail on DP World's planned divestiture. It wasn't clear which American business might get the port operations, or how the U.S. entity would be related to the Dubai government.
"Make no mistake, we are going to scrutinize this deal with a fine tooth comb," Schumer said.
And the Democratic Party planned a mobile billboard in Memphis, Tenn., where GOP activists were gathering for a weekend conference, accusing Republicans of standing in the way of providing enough funding for port security. "Republicans owe the American people answers as to where they really stand," said party spokesman Luis Miranda.
Republicans, too, have said the deal's end does nothing to address the nation's continuing vulnerability at its ports, where the vast majority of shipping containers are not inspected. In fact, work continued on Capitol Hill on two fronts: reworking the process under which the government approves foreign investment and boosting port security.
Senate Homeland Security Chairwoman Susan Collins, R-Maine, promised a committee vote by the end of April on legislation to strengthen cargo inspections and port security. Rep. Dan Lungren, R-Calif., was readying a nearly identical measure for the House. Both bills have Democratic co-sponsors.
There were some signs the president's worries about the impact abroad were warranted.
Analysts said the developments could make cash-rich investors in the Persian Gulf, where there is the widespread belief that the furor was rooted in anti-Arab bias, wary of high-profile investments in the United States.
And the latest round of negotiations on a new free-trade arrangement between the U.S. and the UAE, scheduled for Monday in the United Arab Emirates, was postponed.
Both sides hastened to dispel speculation that the delay was the result of the ports controversy.
Neena Moorjani, spokeswoman for U.S. Trade Representative Rob Portman (news, bio, voting record), would not directly address that question, but said it's not unusual for delegations to need more time to prepare. A UAE official said there was no connection, and that working groups would continue discussions by phone.
But it's gotten VERY old and I, for one, have just about had it. Thank GOD for vacations...which I'm going on soon. Hold down the fort, in my absence. :-)
It appears to me, that it was after some vote counting in the Senate on Shumers late addition to a bill that was not even ready for debate, that the White House and the UAE saw something that caused them to pull out of the deal.
Frist lost control of the Senate apparently, and they were ready to make fools of themselves as they have done before on the Shiavo vote.
This is just nuts and very dangerous to have a Senate responding to public or political pressures that are emotionally laden. It has never happened in my memory except for these recent gaffs.
I don't know why exactly, but it must stop and stop now or there will be hell to pay in the voting booth for every incumbent and I'll be participating gladly.
Spot on!
You're welcome and pleasant dreams.
This wasn't some foreign policy initiative Dubya thought he had to explain and campaign for. It's a business deal that made sense until the drive-by media went on a tirade and persuaded the easily gullible. In the end it doesn't make a whole lot of difference either way...it just gives Dubya haters, like you and the rats, something to complain about.
Why don't you just stick to bashing Dubya's faith in divine creationism. You're not nearly as persuasive on issues that don't require your intense hatred of the Lord.
I'm sure I could not withstand the pressure of a full-on flame from you. My aim is only to elevate your ire, on occasion, not persistently, and only over matters trivial.
In my heart of hearts, I mean absolutely no harm. But a little devil inhabits part of my entertainment center, and he seeks devilish entertainment from time to time.
Agility in rhetorical battle requires PRACTICE, among other things. Patience, I think, is another.
Perhaps someday we could engage in a mock flame war, or at least after it was over, pretend it was all in fun. Naturally, such an event could not be scheduled - for reasons so obvious I choose to not expand on the thought. But in general I note, not all flaming is really flaming, sometimes flaming is just for fun.
Generously, Frist leaves a lot to be desired, but who do you suppose could control the Senate?
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060311/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/hostage_killed
U.S. Hostage Tom Fox Killed in Iraq
By JUAN-CARLOS RODRIGUEZ, Associated Press Writer
An American who was among four Christian activists kidnapped last year in Iraq has been killed, a State Department spokesman said Friday.
The FBI verified that a body found in Iraq Friday morning was that of Tom Fox, 54, of Clear Brook, Va., spokesman Noel Clay said. He said he had no information on the other three hostages.
Now is the perfect time for our Islamic dictator "friend" in the UAE to condemn the vicious murder of an innocent Christian in Iraq.
I'm sure our "committed ally" will denounce in the strongest terms all those who murder Christians and others in the name of their so-called god.
/MASSIVE SARCASM!!!
You could fix your little dilemma if you would just state an opinion on the dangers of cruise travel, like some of us have.
Instead of demanding a full inquiry into every aspect and every detail, Bush chose to pick a fight with the American people and the GOP Congress. By a 62-2 margin the House committee voted to oppose the DPW/UAE deal. Hastert and Frist TOLD Bush they would oppose him. Even after being proven wrong in the court of public opinion, Bush has continued to show a level of arrogance that undermines his support and shows poor leadership on his part. Bottom line. Bush lost this fight BIGTIME!
The Muslim Sheiks who control and operate the UAE, and other Islamic nationstates of the ME, won't be divesting in the US. Their investments will be going up. They won't be kicking the worlds only superpower out of their ports and bases either. We protect these dictatorial Sheiks and their Islamic sheikdoms from acts of terrorism. Nothings changed.
Except a bunch of whining Bush apologizers/sycophants on FreeRepublic have to eat crow on this one for acting like spoiled brats.
Cruise travel as in hitch-hiking? Not dangerous at all. ;-)
I can tell you in all honesty, I have no worthwhile opinion relating to the dangers of cruise travel. I figure if 1/6,666 pax is taken for satanic sacrifice, it's within historic boundaries.
And you're absolutely correct, you WILL lose and lose horrifically, in any kind of a flame war with me; even IF it got me banned. Do you REALLY want THAT on your conscience?
Stop pushing me...........
I am NOT here you give you "practice" of any sort. I am NOT here for your "entertainment! My patience DOES have its limits. And you may lie to yourself that this is all "just in fun" and that you "mean me no harm", but that IS a LIE!
I bet you get your jollies by pulling the wings off insects and torturing small animals, as well. Go menace someone else!
The group who has them, was until they grabbed them, unknown and are NOT affiliated with any known group.
Don't demand an apology from anyone, who has less than nothing whatsoever to do with this situation.
Baloney. Dubya pushed DPW to offer a 45 day review. Congress said "we don't need no stinking review," and pushed for a vote without a review of the facts.
Except a bunch of whining Bush apologizers/sycophants on FreeRepublic have to eat crow on this one for acting like spoiled brats.
Eat crow? What for? Because the GOP Congress and some imbecilic Bush haters unthinkingly joined with the rats and drive-by media? Don't make me laugh.
What utter drivel!
"The Muslim culture is not easily assimilated into a western society, so this will be a supremely difficult challenge. If we can't figure out how to do it, we're doomed to death, dhimmitude (as we're seeing indications of in Europe), or a lot of innocent blood on our hands."
Ummm... define innocent blood. If you mean killing people whose religion requires our death or slavery, I think I can handle it. Attempting to assimilate Muslim culture into our own has proved a miserable failure in the US, and all across Europe. That's the reason we're deployed in the ME right now. Welcoming their culture to our shores is either inviting or hastening defeat.
Heh. Nope, there is a travel agent FReeper who jumps down the throats of anyone who posts *anything* related to the cruise lines, no matter what they say--and you get an ad spam to go along with it.
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