Chertoff Defends UAE Port Deal

Fox News.com ^ | 2/20/06 | Fox News; AP

[standingfirm]

WASHINGTON — Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff is defending the Bush administration's review of an international shipping deal two days after one company in the Port of Miami sued to prevent an Arab-owned firm from taking over port operations.

Meanwhile, lawmakers also are considering legislation to stop foreign-owned companies from running U.S. ports.

Chertoff on Sunday said the U.S. Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, or CFIUS, had carefully reviewed the Dubai Ports World purchase of London-based Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Co., which runs commercial operations in New York, New Jersey, Baltimore, New Orleans, Miami and Philadelphia.

"We make sure there are assurances in place, in general, sufficient to satisfy us that the deal is appropriate from a national security standpoint," Chertoff told ABC's "This Week."

That doesn't sit well with Miami firm Continental Stevedoring & Terminals Inc., a subsidiary of Ellery & Company Inc. Representatives from that company asked a judge to block the takeover of P&O,

[trubluolyguy]

Chertoff needs to STEPOFF.

[fallujah-nuker]

Whats the deal with Jimmy Carter and George W Bush anyway?

They both seem to love smooching with America's enemies...

[BigSkyFreeper]

The Democrats hope for is a chasm in the Republican party and the conservative movement, thinning out the herd as it were, enough to win back the House and the Senate, setting into motion their phony impeachment of President Bush over goofy charges.

[BigSkyFreeper]

You can check for a Cenex location here.

[Dane]

It's called diplomacy and protocol, although jimmy carter was kissing breznev after signing the soviet advantaged SALT II treaties.

The "kiss" by Bush to the saudi guy was for the papers in saudi arabia and Bush didn't give anything away, accept a peck on the cheek.

[Dane]

It's called diplomacy and protocol, although jimmy carter was kissing breznev after signing the soviet advantaged SALT II treaties.

The "kiss" by Bush to the saudi guy was for the papers in saudi arabia and Bush didn't give anything away, except a peck on the cheek.

[LachlanMinnesota]

The standard reply is the "Nationalize" (meaning steal) the property of the other nation, but I am concerned that the true purchaser is a prince or group of wealthy individuals, not a "government" as we think of it. Having said that, if we nationalize those assets, would we nationalize something owned by a group of individuals, however they organize themselves?

The answer is "no," we would not.

The problem is that if management of the new owners has one pro-Al Queda person in the human resources department, then he could hire just enough people on his side to do all of the damage that they wanted to do. It would not be an obviously terrorist organization, because to do that would defeat the purpose.

One person in charge of checking one container at just the right time is all that is needed to do this.

Remember that those who support terrorism against us do not believe it is wrong to lie or to be dishonest with an infidel, or even another Muslim if it will advance the cause.

The conduct of business in the middle east is based on principles that we would not tolerate, and we are fools to allow them to control such an important industrial sector.

The British have not been terrorists on our soils since 1812, so I do not at all see the similarities between their foreign ownership and the Dubai ownership.

The fact it is foreign ownership is not the problem, it is selling it to a group that has such close ties with Terrorists. I know this has not been proven in public, but we must error on the side of caution. The Dubai group must be able to prove its bona fides before this could happen, and Secretary Chertoff's statements are not enough for me.

[fallujah-nuker]

...and Bush didn't give anything away, except a peck on the cheek.

Just which cheeks are we talking about anyway?

[DJ MacWoW]

but I am concerned that the true purchaser is a prince or group of wealthy individuals, not a "government" as we think of it.

Did you see DP World to borrow $6.5b to fund P&O acquisition and the rest of Post 42?

[Dane]

Just which cheeks are we talking about anyway?

You tell me, you seem to be the self-proclaimed expert on cheeks.

[Aliska]

Welcome to the global economy.

It seemed to happen overnight, but has been going on for quite awhile.

We've made the Emirates wealthy by purchasing their oil, now we b!tch that they choose to spend it here.

They won't necessarily spend it here; some of it trickles back into investments and, of course, the $6.8 bil, if it is allowed to stand will recycle part of it back into the economy but most of it will go to palatial estates in the ME. I suppose they purchase some of our products.

What would you have them do with their wealth? We go on endlessly about how capital should be unfettered and that the protectionists are misguided, and now this?

I don't know what they should do with their wealth, and am angry that we got sucked into having to deal with them.

The Emirates are our partners whether we like it or not, by virtue of their having us by the short hairs. Those that don't like it should reconsider their use of petroleum products.

I don't like it. Reconsidering the use of petroleum products would put me out in the cold. I don't trust them, mostly since 9/11. They did help to rout out some terrorists not too long ago, but in the long haul, I wish we didn't have to deal with them. We are stuck now.

What you said is like telling me if I don't like it to leave the country. We should work for a better solution. I am getting to be a protectionist/isolationist because I see nothing good coming from all this except for the wealthy. We have been sold down the river incrementally.

I use very little gas for my little car, don't drive too far. My heating costs for my home have quadrupled over the last 20 years. So I suck it up. Never applied for TRAIN, but more and more people cannot keep up with it.

I don't have a whole lot of confidence in alternative fuels. One way or another, they will sock it to us. One of the things I have been the most grateful for in my life is having my own car.

I'm not looking for an argument about it; that's just the way I feel about it.

[arasina]

"...setting into motion their phony impeachment of President Bush over goofy charges."

I agree with you there. However, THIS issue is NOT 'goofy' and the Bush Administration has opened itself up to attack. Don't you agree that we would've questioned allowing Middle Eastern men to learn how to pilot commercial aircraft right here in the USA if we had known it was going on? Are we not allowed to question international backroom deals that have to do with our national security?

Just crazy pondering: Were any Israeli companies interested in bidding, I wonder?

[Spunky]

"Somone wake me up when it's over. It has to be a nightmare."

No, it's not a nightmare. We have finally reached

[fallujah-nuker]

You tell me, you seem to be the self-proclaimed expert on cheeks.

I was curious since he was smooching with a Saud-omite.

[takenoprisoner]

"Homeland security says they have all the resources they need for the Mexican border patrol, yet thousands penetrate our borders."

When the so called dept of Homeland security argues for putting muslims in charge of our strategic ports, that tells me we got some pyschos at the helm leading us to destruction.

Homeland Security was established to protect us from muslims, not install them in sensitive strategic ports.

These pyschos must go. We can't stand down on this one and allow them to set us up for the kill by our sworn enemy.

[LachlanMinnesota]

Now I have...I have three words to describe this...

Opacity, Confusion, and Obfuscation...

Who owns the corporations that are borrowing the money? Why are we calling this the country of Dubai, when the country is a bunch of ruling elite families?

Dubai is the family business in my opinion...but what do I know, anyway...

[Aliska]

Re Cenex locations. There's one in a town 10 miles from here and across the river. There's a whole slew of them in the rural area to which I might want to relocate.

I'll look in the phone book and see what I can find on the rest of it. Thanks.

[sasha123]

Currently there are no requirements that a port worker needs to be a US citizen

[goldstategop]

I oppose the deal and will support legislation to stop it. And if the Administration does not reverse course they may have to issue their first veto. This is one I think will be overriden by Congress.

(Denny Crane: "I Don't Want To Socialize With A Pinko Liberal Democrat Commie. Say What You Like About Republicans. We Stick To Our Convictions. Even When We Know We're Dead Wrong.")

[Dane]

I was curious since he was smooching with a Saud-omite.

They weren't swapping tongues, whabbist mideast protocol has weird stuff like that, such as also guys holding hands.

Get back to me when President Bush is swapping tongues with the mayor of San Francisco.