Posted on 02/19/2006 10:30:27 AM PST by LibWhacker
The Bush administration will reverse its decision to allow a Dubai company based in the United Arab Emirates to gain control over several key U.S. ports, the Fox News Channel's Brit Hume predicted on Sunday.
"I don't think the administration will be able to sustain this," Hume told "Fox News Sunday." "I think it will have to reverse itself in some way or create some entity that stands between the company and the management of the ports."
"I just don't think [the decision] can stand," he added. "It doesn't sound good to let some Arab shieks to be in charge of our ports - that's what it comes down to."
Appearing on the same program, Sen. Lindsey Graham slammed the ports decision, saying, "It's unbelievably tone deaf politically at this point in our history, four years after 9/11, to entertain the idea of turning port security over to a company based in the U.A.E., who avows to destroy Israel."
In a decision announced last week, the Bush administration's Committee on Foreign Investment approved the purchase of six major U.S. ports by the U.A.E.-based Dubai Ports World.
The move set off a firestorm of criticism, with skeptics complaining that banks in the U.A.E. have helped launder money for terrorists and that the country itself was home to Marwan al Shehhi, the Sept. 11 hijacker who piloted United Airlines Flight 175 into Tower 2 of the World Trade Center.
On Friday, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice defended the Dubai deal, telling a Mideast news outlet: "There was a thorough review. It was decided that this could be done and done safely."
I've observed Brit long enough to know his sources are very close to the White House, very close.
Therefor on that alone, I'd bet Brit is right.
While we're at it, let's give the Panama Canal over to the Communist Chinese along with the Long Beach, CA Ports. /sarc
Yours is the best post on this topic yet. If President Bush caves it will show he is a hypocrite of the first order, indistinguishable from Hillary! and Schumer.
Hum just more of the Bush doctrine, like having Mexico in charge of our borders...
What I've noticed is that among people on this forum who actually know how U.S. ports work there are very few reservations. And the level of "grave reservations" among people in and out of government is inversely proportional to their actual knowledge of these port operations.
The fact that it took almost an entire week for our representatives in government to even get the facts straight on this one tells me all I need to know about how things get so f#%&ed up so easily in this country.
I've noticed that once Bush comes up with a plan, the I.Q. of his most ardent supporters goes down in direct proportion to the absurdity of the deal. Thanks for playing. Please don't forget to pick up your consolation prize on the way out.
You know this is going to come as a shock to you but there are times when you have to get past party politics, it's not always us versus them, especially when it comes to national security. Rarely do I agree with democrats and even though they're probably using this for political purposes their message is still correct, the deal needs to be stopped.
Na... the NOLA Levee Board.
That elementary observation seems to be a bit complex for a number of people on this thread.
Anyone who knows me here will tell you that I have far more negative than positive things to say about this administration.
The fact that this merger/acquisition has been public knowledge for at least three months (I believe it was originally announced in October or November of last year) without even so much as a minor comment expressing an ounce of concern from any of these elected officials seems to have been lost on a lot of people here.
It's not like the Arab company is even trying to be secretive about this thing. The name of the company acquiring P&O Ports is Dubai Ports World, for heaven's sake. If they really wanted to mute all of this opposition here in the U.S., they would have changed the company name to Real Admirals and @ss Pirates Shipping, Inc. Then they would have Chuck Schumer out there laying out the welcome mat for them.
That is the precisely why the contract was granted to Arabs.
Do some research on the graft and corruption that has been a way of life at these ports for decades, and you'll see why the risk is no different.
ping
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