Posted on 02/17/2006 7:51:42 AM PST by presidio9
Two U.S. Democratic senators said on Friday they would introduce legislation aimed at blocking Dubai Ports World from buying a company that operates several U.S. shipping ports because of security concerns.
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Robert Menendez of New Jersey and Hillary Clinton of New York said they would offer a measure to ban companies owned or controlled by foreign governments from acquiring U.S. port operations.
"We wouldn't turn the border patrol or the customs service over to a foreign government, and we can't afford to turn our ports over to one either," Menendez said in a statement.
P&O, the company Dubai Ports World plans to buy for $6.8 billion, is already foreign-owned but the concern is that the purchaser is backed by the United Arab Emirates government.
The UAE company would gain control over the management of major U.S. ports in New York and New Jersey, Baltimore, Philadelphia, New Orleans and Miami, sparking national security concerns.
"I will be working with Senator Menendez to introduce legislation that will prohibit the sale of ports to foreign governments," Clinton said in a statement.
Officials with the United Arab Emirates Embassy in Washington could not be immediately reached for comment.
The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, a U.S. inter-agency panel that reviews security implications of foreign takeovers of strategic assets, has already reviewed the transaction and did not object.
Despite that review, some Republicans and Democrats in the U.S. Congress urged the Bush administration to conduct a more rigorous review. They expressed fears that the UAE was used as a conduit for parts used for nuclear proliferation and that the local banking system had been abused by financiers with possible links to terrorist organizations.
U.S. officials have said the UAE has been a solid and cooperative partner in the fight against terrorism, and have praised the UAE for steps to protect its booming financial sector against abuse by terrorism financiers.
Money for the September 11 attacks was wired through the UAE's banking system, according to U.S. officials. Two of the September 11 hijackers were UAE citizens.
U.S. seaports handle 2 billion tons of freight each year but only about 5 percent of containers entering the United States are examined on arrival.
Similar concerns were raised when a China state-controlled oil company tried to acquire the U.S. oil company Unocal. After pressure from American lawmakers, the foreign company eventually dropped out of the bidding.
I know this has nothign to do with their desire for safe ports. However, I am for the effort since the GOP hasn't been making much noise on it. It's like the immigration issue. I don't really care who takes it, as long as someone does and 5yrs ago, already. Would have been nice if it had been done by Bush, but I'll take what I can get.
This issue IMO could be the issue to swing the 06 and 08 elections......WAKE UP "W".
This is not the TIME for this. Maybe after we have true friendly allies in the middle east as a WHOLE.
WE ALL who disagree need to contact the WH and Representatives and tell them we agree for once with the DEM's on this one. We can't let the get to the 06 elections screaming W Sold us out on the PORTs....the china deal is history, MAJORITY of americans don't remember or care at this point and time ABOUT THE PAST CHINA DEAL. even if they did the MSM will never let it play.
Security at the ports is another issue and that they can't control. The unions just don't want to have to threaten a company owned by folks who don't worry about manners when it comes to extortion.
Better than 90% of international trade through these ports is false/foreign flagged and that is where the danger has always been.
you may be right on the Clinton BUSH angle......if so america will be truly pissed.
the only person that could break the power of the BUsh Clintons, could be RUDY. I"m a true conservative but rudy might be our only answer on this issue to compete with CLINTON BUSH Clan (yesss i'm sorry but this issue along with Bush Sr. and Clinton butt budding it, really ticks me off)...wonder how Rudy stands on this issue.
If Bush don't stand and and start NAILING HILLARY, I honestly beleive we will see Hillary running this time under a family agreement and Jeb after Hillary.
Hope i'm wrong no matter how much we liked W over he past, this could be bad. We would be seen as a dual family REGIME to the world.
thanks for the smart post. I'll bet that W finds a way to make hay with this issue sooner rather than later. He'll hike himself up, give some speeches telling us he's appointed a new review board, and, like the Dems, do nothing to prevent the Muslims from gaining control of our ports. In name, but not necessarily in name only.
I don't trust anyone anymore.
I spit on all their Democratic, lying selves. They are indeed just grabbing for power. But in their insincere pony show, they are correct.
This whole port business with an Arab/Muslim country is NOT GOOD. Not good at all. I would like to root for George Bush as he torpedoes this atrocity.
Agree with you on that one.
> Uh the clock is still broken, so why would a person trust it when it's wrong the next minute.
Uh I follow legislation, not the personalities that bring it.
If the legislation is good, I support it.
If the legislation stinks, I fight it.
At the end of the day I vote for the folks who are most likely to bring on good legislation. Mostly, this is conservatives/Repubs.
I'm no Democrat, but I have to say that our guys fumbled the ball this time and the Dems picked it up. It's a shame our people can't see the urgency of protecting the ports, but I'm glad the legislation is going forward.
> Boy...Hillary stuck that finger in the air....saw the wind was blowing against this from ALL SIDES..
so WHY don't OUR PEOPLE fight it too (especially the President)?
Sure, some are. But the President has been PUSHING for this deal TO HAPPEN.
In this case, **W IS WRONG** and the **DEMS ARE RIGHT**. It makes me sick to say it, but it's true.
I listened to Tony Snow's radio show tonight...and he seemed to think this is much ado about not so much...
He even tried to explain it....so that those of us at the thread, who expressed our displeasure would be more in favor of it...or at least to understand why it isn't as bad as we think...
I guess I was listening with an already made up mind or something...because though I am a Bush fan...and I think Tony knows a lot about stuff...I didn't come away convinced that this won't be a bad thing....sorry to report.
The worst part about this is the fact that Hillary is jumping in at the last second...to make sure her name gets on the "Dems that are blocking this" headline...grrrrrrr
What a brave stand! What profiles in courage! I'm so impressed </sarcasm.
Honestly, I am willing to be presuaded on this issue but I can't see what the big deal is now. Sounds like the '80s when the Japanese were buying up stuff. I'm still waiting for an answer to a question I posed in my #97 in this thread. Maybe Tony answered it:
What happens to the ports in question of the current owner can't sell? Do they close? Operate at a loss? Get a government bailout instead? Get sold to the Chinese instead?
I'd much rather take my chances with Dubai rather than Red China.
Same lady who wanted to immediately change the Constitution on how we elect Presidents in 2000.
"Didn't a Chinese company do something similar with the port of San Diego while Clinton was president?"
Long beach...
Being raised in Ohio, and living my adult life east of the Mississippi (except for 2 college years in St. Louis), I must admit that all of my geography west of Denver is pretty fuzzy. ;-)
Thanks for the correction.
Pinz
I don't know about Jewish...
but, I would definitely say she is opportunistic and pandering...
The Dubai Company is owned by the UAE Government. The London Company is not.
"The unions just don't want to have to threaten a company owned by folks who don't worry about manners when it comes to extortion."
This is a win/win for the good guys. HRC, Schmuck, Ratpaki and Bling just don't want to deal with their union thug bosses.
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