Posted on 02/21/2006 3:29:01 PM PST by Cagey
NEW YORK -(Dow Jones)- U.S. Rep. Curt Weldon, R-Pa., said the Bush administration's presentation of the deal by a Dubai-based company to purchase the operating rights of six major U.S. ports "almost smacks of an arrogance" in its dealings with Congress.
Weldon, vice chairman of the House Armed Services and Homeland Security Committees, made the statement Tuesday afternoon in an interview on Cable News Network.
Dubai Ports World (DPW.YY), owned by Dubai's government, is set to purchase U.K.-based Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Co. (PO.LN), which runs the ports of Baltimore, Miami, New Jersey, New Orleans, New York and Philadelphia. The Bush administration's approval of the deal "almost smacks of an arrogance, like it doesn't matter what Congress says," Weldon told CNN. "We'll do what we think and if they don't like our agency heads and our departments and what we've done, that's too bad."
Weldon, who noted he voted for Bush both terms and supports the president in a host of other matters, compared the situation to Chinese state-controlled CNOOC Ltd. (CEO)'s (CEO) attempt to purchase U.S. oil company Unocal.
"The outrage was overwhelming, and they backed down," he noted.
Weldon began his comments by noting that Congress and the executive branch are co-equal.
"It's not a government where the president and the White House roll over the Congress. There's a legitimate process that could have been employed here where members of Congress and leadership or other members that were interested would come in for a briefing. That was not offered to members of Congress.
"This is a government that needs to cooperate," Weldon concluded. "When you tear that apart, and when you run rough shod, you automatically have distrust and concerns that maybe could have been dealt with early on that today are now major obstacles to what he (Bush) wants to accomplish."
Weldon said he will stand with his colleagues - both Democrats and Republicans - in opposing the deal, at least until more information is provided.
"Who are the owners?" of DPW, he asked. "What are their ties? We haven't looked at the board of the corporation to see what ties they have. I have information about the board itself of the organization, that's going to require scrutiny by Congress ... I don't think we have seen the end of the facts still coming out in this case and that's why transparency could have helped avoid all of this."
Bush on Tuesday threatened to veto any attempt to block the deal, noting that P&O is a U.K. company and the problem appears somewhat at odds with U.S. desires to treat Arab countries with more fairness.
FYI Ping
While the reality of the ports deal is that there is nothing wrong, some are thinking like shamans in terms of sympathetic magic. The deal is just fine, but the Prez's statement of intent to veto a Congressional Bill is an unexpected development.
"appears somewhat at odds with U.S. desires to treat Arab countries with more fairness."
The race card being played for poor downtrodden multibillion dollar corporations.
BFLR
Well, let's just say DPW recently bought out P&O. Wanna know about P&O? Check out this link and tell me what Dubai is up to -
http://portal.pohub.com/portal/page?_pageid=71,212193&_dad=pogprtl&_schema=POGPRTL
go weldon!!!
To: STARWISE; Mo1; onyx
It turns out that an anti-Israeli foundation run by the crown prince of Dubai owns the very deed to CAIR's headquarters located almost in the shadow of the U.S. Capitol. The foundation has held telethons to support families of Palestinian suicide bombers.
http://64.233.179.104/search?q=cache:BgAAE3vM-q8J:www.discoverthenetwork.org/Articles/Z-CAIR.htm+cair+dubai&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=3&client=firefox-a
1,052 posted on 02/21/2006 4:47:58 PM CST by hipaatwo
The President hasn't used the veto once in 5 years and now he is willing to do so. Oh please, now this whole deal stinks! Spending is out of control, no border enforcement, new laws and regulations are strangling the country and he is willing to veto a bill that may stop this transaction. Seems like a strange place to take stand.
What? What is this? A Congressman who remembers what 'co-equal' means? My goodness...
Next thing you know we'll find one who understands that the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments protect innoncent human life!
My thoughts exactly.
CAIR. It just keeps getting worse.
Rep. Weldon, I don't have a problem with how 43 treats you all. You deserve it.
Weldon deserves an "atta boy!".
http://www.middleastlogistics.com/topnews.asp?id=2216
TNT to unveil UAE-Iran road transport service
Dubai: TNT Express, the world’s leading B2B express delivery company, will launch the Middle East ’s first UAE -Iran road express this November.
The thrice-weekly Sharjah-Bandar Abbas route is part of the company’s plan to double its Middle East Road Network (MERN) revenues within the next three years.
“Iran has consistently featured as a top 10 destination for TNT UAE and currently represents around five per cent of our total revenue, “said Bryan Moulds, UAE Country General Manager, TNT Express.
“We have excellent ground infrastructure throughout Iran and with this new offering, we anticipate our Iranian business to at least double in the next 12 months.”
The new road express route will include TNT’s fully inclusive door-to-door service. The company will use its state-of-the-art bonded trailers for deliveries to Iran, which will include full track and trace technology, customs clearance, GPS tracking and cost effective prices on heavy weight consignments.
And
UAE, Palestine to set up a joint investment firm (Hamas)
DUBAI — The UAE and Palestine have agreed to the establishment of a new joint investment company, to be announced within a few weeks, according to Mazen Sinokrot, the Palestinian Minister of Economy, who has recently visited the UAE.
I saw Weldon on CNN today. He didn't discuss the merits of the case against the UAE's deal, just whined about the president's treatment of Congress. I stand by what I said.
I don't blame Weldon. I saw him also on CNN. We have a HUGE port here and I'm sure he wants to see what is going on first. Right now I trust him to do the right thing.
That's a shame as the branches are co-equal and Bush isn't giving needed info to Congress. Bush has NEVER vetoed anything but he'll veto legislation to stop this deal while NOT telling Congress why it should go through? Yeah. That makes sense.
BTW, on the subject of the merits of the case, if the UAE's deal gets scotched, who/what is on the short list to run the ports? There aren't any American firms. How do we know the alternative is better than the UAE?
Anyone who says that the identity of the management of these ports doesn't matter because the Coast Guard and DHS are on the case is living in Candyland. If that's the case, why don't we just have the Chinese military, North Korea, or Al Qaeda manage our ports? See, it just took me one sentence to destroy the argument that port managament has no security aspect.
This deal will be stopped. Bush just screwed another pooch, and damage has already been done. Time to cut bait and get back to other pressing problems.
So who's gonna run the ports?!
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