Ports Deal Will Sink Bush

For all of its failings, the one thing the Bush administration had been able to point to as a success was the way it was conducting the war on terror. In recent weeks, however, it has become increasingly apparent that Bush is either asleep at the wheel or has lost his mind. I speak of course of the Dubai Ports deal, and the increasing influx of Muslims into this country, with the blessing of our government.

In the former, we have to wonder what in the name of all that is holy George W. was thinking when he allowed Dubai Ports world, a company owned by the United Arab Emirates, to purchase London-based Peninsular & Oriental Steam Navigation. The deal raises so many red flags about it so as to be laughable, if it weren't so scary.

First, the financing of this transaction should raise eyebrows. As Jerome Corsi wrote in a column for WorldNetDaily, "DPW is a governmental agency fronted as a commercial entity. Barclays Capital, the investment banking division of Barclays Bank PLC and Deutsche Bank AG are organizing an international lending syndicate to create a $6.3 billion term loan and a $200 million revolving facility in a $6.5 billion loan deal to finance the acquisition.

This nearly-100 percent leveraged takeover is possible only because the debt will be backed by A1 Moody's rating of Dubai, one of the seven Emirates comprising the United Arab Emirates. The borrowing entity will be Thunder FZE (Free Zone Enterprise), an acquisition vehicle set up by DPW, with a 100 percent guarantee provided by PCFC. Some 30 international banks are expected to participate in the $6.5 billion acquisition, plus refinancing a $1.65 billion loan DPW raised last year. Debt issues are not foreign to Dubai – last month PCFC issued a separate two-year $3.5 billion Islamic bond, the largest Islamic bond ever raised."

Recently, George W. nominated one of DPW's senior executives, David C. Sanborn, to serve as maritime administrator, reporting directly to Secretary of Transportation Norman Mineta. Sanford, a graduate of the U.S. Merchant Maritime Academy, joined DPW in 2005. Before being nominated to be maritime administrator, Mr. Sanford served as DPW's director of Operations for Europe and Latin America.

Bush has repeatedly stated that the United Arab Emirates have been extremely helpful in fighting the war on terror. But their help is questionable. Again, as Corsi points out, " The 9-11 Commission Report documents how al-Qaida and the 9-11 terrorists who flew the airplanes into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon used Dubai as a banking facility and a country of transit. Dubai continues to work actively with the radical religious clerics ruling Iran, serving both as a vacation home and a capital haven to many of the wealthy mullahs and their families, including former Prime Minister Hashemi-Rafsanjani, who is the first mullah to be considered a billionaire while the Iranian per capita GDP continues to be calculated at around $1,800."

As far back as 1999, U.S. intelligence officials spotted bin Laden at a desert training camp in Afghanistan. There was an opportunity to destroy the entire camp. But the operation was called off because an official aircraft from the UAE was spotted, along with members of the royal family.

Bin Laden was hunting with the princes of the UAE. Concerned that the princes might be killed in a strike, the mission was called off. Two years later, 3,000 Americans were murdered as a result.

Knowing this, why would Bush doggedly pursue this transaction? And why didn't Michael Chertoff, Donald Rumsfeld and Condoleezza Rice know about this deal in advance? Did Bush really learn of the sale from news reports?

Many right wing pundits are divided on this issue. Rush Limbaugh, a true Bushyite, backs the sale. He said on his popular syndicated radio show "I have been a profile in courage on this story. When it comes to the UAE or the Middle East: I do not believe that every Arab nation, government, sponsors terrorism. I don't believe they all are for it. I don't believe they secretly fund it. I think this story about the two or three of the 9-11 hijackers came out of the UAE, they may have.

"The London bomber was a British citizen. We have had homegrown criminals in this country try to blow up buildings and commit crime in this country. The idea that the United Arab Emirates government recruited those three hijackers, trained them and paid for them is not true. Just because they came out of there, I'm not willing to cast negative aspersions on a whole country."

"I think this president's been tough on the war on terror. I want to believe him," Hannity said. "I don't like the track record and the involvement of the UAE as it relates to money issues involving 9-11, transportation issues. They have a history of supporting terror that, frankly, is sketchy at best. ...

"Their support of the Taliban concerns me. Their non-recognition of Israel concerns me. The UAE's banking system filtered a lot of the money that was used operationally prior to 9-11. Their use of transportational assistance.

"Those specific things, they're going to have access to one of the most sensitive, secure areas in this country. That history bothers me. The administration is saying they're changing. What am I missing here?"

The New York Post reported this week that "Al Qaeda warned the government of the United Arab Emirates more than three years ago that it "infiltrated" key government agencies, according to a disturbing document released by the U.S. military.

The warning was contained in a June 2002 message to UAE rulers, in which the terror network demanded the release of an unknown number of "mujahedeen detainees," who it said had been arrested during a government crackdown in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks.

The explosive document is certain to become ammunition for critics of the controversial UAE port deal, who fear the Dubai-based firm could be used by terrorists to sneak money and personnel into the United States.

"You are well aware that we have infiltrated your security, censorship and monetary agencies, along with other agencies that should not be mentioned," the message said.

"Therefore, we warn of the continuation of practicing . . . policies which do not serve your interest and will only cost you many problems that will place you in an embarrassing state before your citizens.

"Your homeland is exposed to us. There are many vital interests that will hurt you if we decided to harm them.""

A new Rasmussen Report poll reveals that only 17 percent of Americans favor the deal to turn over control of U.S. ports to a state-sponsored company in the United Arab Emirates, and shows a major blow to President Bush's perceived leadership in the war on terror. And 43 percent indicate they trust the Democrats more on national security today while 41 percent prefer Bush.

"From a political perspective, President Bush's national security credentials have clearly been tarnished due to the outcry over this issue," notes the polling agency. "For the first time ever, Americans have a slight preference for Democrats in Congress over the president on national security issues. The preference for the opposition party is small, but the fact that Democrats are even competitive on the national security front is startling."

By the way...do you know what is mostly shipped out of these 22 ports (And yes, it's 22 ports, not the six originally reported)? Nuclear reactors.

This ports deal may be the nail in the GOP coffin for the midterm elections this year, and the presidential race in 2008. The democrats will capitalize on this, and rightly so.

Not many people are aware of it, but over 10,000 students from Osama bin Laden's homeland are attending U.S. colleges and universities this year, thanks to an agreement between President Bush and King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz. And the U.S. universties are welcoming this influx of Muslims because Riyadh is paying 100 percent of their tuition and enrollment costs.

Because Saudi Arabia virtually invented Wahhabism, the radical brand of Islamism that spawned al-Qaida.

As many as 25,000 Saudi students are expected to arrive over the next five years, with all their bills paid by the Saudi government. More?

The United States has agreed to grant citizenship to 7000 Ahiska Muslims who will settle in Pennsylvania. They are currently living in Russia, where they are not treated as citizens.

When you combine this with the fact that Bush continues to push for his guest worker program, and the fact that our borders are very porous at the moment, one really has to question how well Bush has conducted the war on terror.

David Zublick America Talks Conservative Internet Talk Radio www.americatalks.com

Sad thing is, this might be a smart idea and actually leave us safer, if in fact they are true allies
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There are no true allies. No one can be totally trusted in all situations. Not even Britain. The economics of this deal are intriguing. It makes Muslims capitalists in a larger sense than ever before.
This deal is tied to a way of circumventing Muslim prohibitions against interest and getting some big time activity for the UAE stock market, which needs support. This play could drive an economic wedge between radical islamists and moselms with a more secular attitude. We need to entice the moderate muslims to embrace the market system, and this is one vehicle to accomplish that end. Its a subtle move and an interesting possibility. No matter who operates the ports we have to be vigilant and retain police and military sovereignty over all our borders.

The GW at Jebel Ali

Mina Jebel Ali
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
24°59'N 55°03'E
Jebel Ali is part of the city of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. The United Arab Emirates is a federation of seven emirates or states. Dubai [Dubayy] is the main commercial center of the Persian Gulf. Its' port of Mina Jebel Ali has the largest man-made harbor in the world with 67 berths and extensive dry-dock capability.

Jebel Ali has become a favorite port of Navy ships in the Gulf, and is the most frequented port outside of the United States. This port has become a familiar stop for carrier battle groups while deployed to the Arabian Gulf.

Jebel Ali, located near Dubai, is the UAE surface hub logistics site in the NAVCENT AOR. It is served by container ships from Guam and other Pacific ports. Jebel Ali is connected to Fujairah by road and much air cargo is delivered by truck to ships inport at Jebel Ali. CLF ships often accept the cargo for ships that are underway FFT at sea. The Fujairah to Jebel Ali land link is the Navy’s logistics pipeline to the Gulf should the Strait of Hormuz be closed. Jebel Ali is manned by a PO1 who reports to the OIC in Fujairah. He operates a transhipment point and temp-storage warehouse with a Ready Service Store (RSS) at Jebel Ali with assistance from the on-station AFS and personnel from the CV (when in theater).

The Kasbah Liberty Center, swimming pools, and laundry located at the port of Jebel Ali are the primary elements of the Jebel Ali Recreation Center and are operated under the management of the United Services Organization (USO) and oversight of the Navy Personnel Command Morale, Welfare, and Recreation Division (PERS-65). By mutual agreement PERS-65 has purchased or authorized payment for specific goods and services for the use of Armed Forces personnel assigned or deployed to the Persian Gulf. The USO Director is the designated agent who manages those US Navy resources located at the port of Jebel Ali.

For many Sailors, the chance to pick up bargains on gold jewelry, electronics and computer hardware drove them into Dubai, known in tourism circles as the "City of Gold" for it’s hundreds of elaborate gold shops and some of the best jewelry prices in the world.

The port of Jebel Ali is situated 35km SW of the city of Dubai. The position of the Port Control Tower is 24°59'04"N and 55°02'09"E. Pilotage is compulsory and pilots are available 24 hours a day. The outer basin is 2.3km long and 600m wide with a depth of 14m. The inner basin is 3.7km long and 425m wide with a depth of 11.5m. The main axis of both basins is 047°-227°. All channel, basin and dock bottoms are sandstone.

In 1976 Sheikh Rashid gave instructions for an ambitious project, the construction of the world's largest man-made harbor at Jebel Ali. When completed in 1979, Jebel Ali Port ranked alongside the Great Wall of China and the Hoover Dam as the only three man-made objects that can be seen from space. Although complementing Port Rashid in terms of trade and transshipments, the concept of Jebel Ali was geared more towards industrial development and soon attracted major aluminum, gas and cement projects. Establishing the surrounding Jebel Ali Free Zone made the location a magnet for international businesses looking for the best facilities, cheaper overheads and the freedom to operate with an offshore status.

Dual-purpose berths for LPG and other tankers berth 1,5,7 are situated in the outer basin and at Berth 2 in the 14m basin. Ships using these berths, for which a booking system operates, will generally be berthed starboard side to. Star Energy Oil Terminal is situated on Quay 3 with Berths 8 and 9 for tankers (max draft, 13.25m) importing/exporting petroleum products. A chemical tanker berth is located on Quay 7, Berth 51, with water depth being 11.5m. Vessels (max draft, 10.75m) may berth port or starboard side to. No ballast reception facilities are provided at these berths. In all other berths, ships can secure port or starboard to. Relative density of water in the port is 1.032; water temperatures reach 36°C in summer.

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