This port deal is nothign but a Democrat pump-up that has suckered in all sorts of people who ought to know better.
It is race-baiting of the most cynical kind, and ought to make us sick. I know I am sickened, not by Bush, who is absolutely in the right, but by so-called conservatives who have been drawn out in the most brazen, bu tbrilliant play I have ever seen the Democrats pull off.
They will never tire of tossing our national security in the crapper for domestic poltical gain. We all know that.
But I didn't know how easily conservatives could be drawn off by the scent of this crap. It's disgusting to watch, and you all ought to be ashamed of yourselves.
Here's the thing, John: if you're serious about national defense, you don't think port facilities, power generating stations, railroads, or airports should be run by any foreigners. Ditto using suppliers from out of country for military parts and equipment. It just shouldn't happen.
That Bush is supporting the contracting to a state that is only arguably an ally in the WOT is icing on the cake for people already pissed off that we buy Beretta sidearms and use all sorts of parts in our military aircraft and vehicles from overseas.
Sure, this is a pump-up by the MSM. Schumer is an ass, we all know that. Peter King is a camera-hungry congressweasel, too. But the discussion here goes to the heart of what is most important to American national security. Is it free trade--to the point of having countries like Dubai in charge of service at our ports? Or is it a real degree of protectionism in the areas that serve our military and guarantee our supply lines, even at a higher price?
Viewed from the latter perspective, this is just as stupid as giving the Canal back to Panama, and then letting the Panamanians hand it over to Chinese management. Even if all they do is take a cut, the Dubai folks will have the plans and security knowledge regarding every shipment in and out of those ports. And that is not kosher in a world where Dubai is only terrorist unfriendly when they get called on it. Dubai is an authoritarian state that only bashes terrorists when they become a bug up the ruler's ass. One firebrand Muslim who has access to the security plans of these six ports could cause serious trouble for an already weak port security structure in the U.S. I've already hypothesized that the next big terrorist action will be a nuke up the port of Houston via such containerized cargo, but who knows?
Anyway, this sort of action doesn't visibly seem to make America better off, which is what we trust the President to be doing. And backing it to the hilt is not selling it. If the President wanted to sell it, he couldn't have explained how strict CFIUS is (it isn't) or how great Customs is in these ports (they aren't). He'd have to roll out better enforcement efforts--and he seems hellbent on doing nothing of the sort when it comes to protecting the American mainland for some reason, unless it's in airports checking on nailclippers. This flashpoint is simply the culmination of a lot of folks' complaints, and a very visible outlet for their frustration at seeming Bush administration disinterest in this aspect of terrorist prevention.