----The UAE is a Arab friend.----
Posted on 02/22/2006 4:19:34 PM PST by Aussie Dasher
THE White House sought to distance itself today from the US administration's approval of an Arab company's takeover of operations at major US ports, a day after President George W. Bush vowed to veto any legislation to block the deal.
White House spokesman Scott McClellan said the president was not aware of the pending deal until it was approved and had become public but then checked with cabinet secretaries to make sure they stood by their approval of the plan by state-controlled Dubai Ports World to manage six ports.
Mr Bush held a rare news conference on Air Force One yesterday to say the deal should go forward despite lawmakers concerns it posed security risks and said he would veto legislation aimed at stopping it.
"He made sure to check with them (the cabinet) even after this got more attention from the press, to make sure they were comfortable with the decision that was made. Every one of the Cabinet secretaries expressed that they were comfortable with this transaction being approved," Mr McClellan said.
Mr McClellan said the president "became aware of it over the last several days".
Asked if Mr Bush did not know about the ports deal until it was a "done deal", he said, "That's correct".
The question of whether state-controlled Dubai Ports World of the United Arab Emirates should be allowed to control the ports has sparked a political storm for Mr Bush at a time when he is struggling to boost sagging public approval ratings.
The White House continued a spirited defence of the deal, which has drawn sharp criticism from Republicans and Democrats alike on Capitol Hill and vows to block the deal.
Mr McClellan said to not go forward with the deal would send a "terrible message" because it would hold a Middle Eastern company to a different standard than a British company and because the United Arab Emirates has been a strong partner in the war on terrorism.
Rejecting the deal, he said, could have consequences.
"You have to take into account the broader foreign policy implications," he said. "We should be working to broaden our partnership in the broader war on terrorism."
Concerns about the vulnerability of US ports have grown since the September 11 attacks.
"So GW didn't know about it, but he appointed one of the major players to a government position, but he will veto any attempted legislation to quell the deal, but he only found out about the deal a few days ago."
Nothing to see here, move along, these things happen every day, no big deal,opposition makes you a racist xenophobe.
Why don't you knee jerkers quit with you innane comments. You are listening to the MSM and believing their stories. This has been around for a few months and no one gave it a second take. Now all of a sudden when the DemocRATS think they can pile on Bush, Republicans get wobbly. What a bunch of wusses. Our ports have been operated by foreign governments all along. The UAE is a Arab friend. If we cannot recognize Arab friends, we might as well forget about being a super power.
I throw in the towel. I can't make heads or tails of this anymore. And I'm out of cliches.
How has he distanced himself? This is just a bunch of clap trap
"Why don't you knee jerkers quit with you innane comments."
You forgot "repetitive."
Yep, they're our friends alright!
- The UAE was one of three countries in the world to recognize the Taliban as the legitimate government of Afghanistan.
- The UAE has been a key transfer point for illegal shipments of nuclear components to Iran, North Korea and Lybia.
- According to the FBI, money was transferred to the 9/11 hijackers through the UAE banking system.
- Two of the 9/11 hijackers were from the UAE (Fayez Banihammad and Marwan al-Shehhi)
- After 9/11, the Treasury Department reported that the UAE was not cooperating in efforts to track down Osama Bin Laden’s bank accounts.
Calling yourself a conservative does not necessarily make you one.
"Rejecting the deal, he said, could have consequences."
"You have to take into account the broader foreign policy implications," he said. "We should be working to broaden our partnership in the broader war on terrorism."
We may need them in dealing with iran. I won't carry hillary or shumers dirty water especially if it hurts our troops or the war effort and helps iran.
The Presidents take on this is more credible than theirs, as he actually has a demonstrable record of caring about our troops. The left has been about helping the enemy.
Please. Don't ruin the party!
Follow the $$$$ .......
How come Fran Townsend, former Reno aide and now White House Homeland Security Advisor, is getting a pass on this issue? Shouldn't she have spotted this and given the President better advice?
Union $$ ??
This is looking more and more like a international sweetheart deal for the UAE. Bush is kept out of the official loop, while his immediate subordinates pull the deal together. Then in a PR frenzy, Bush speaks out in a tough defiant tone, giving his blessing to the $7-billion deal.
"Pathetic" is not a bad description, albeit one that implies some degree of emotional attachment. In this case, I would prefer the military description of a decision arrived at by a consensus of the unthinking. Hint: it starts with "cluster".
Those who think we are going to get anywhere in the Middle East while the left are continually circulating Abu Grhabe pictures and "We've lost" rhetoric need a head check. We must engage where we can and show the reason--SHOW them, not tell them--that it's to their benefit to see us as potential trading partners. Sorry, but they're not going to change because we pray for it to happen. We must act. The way we act is not to wait for some Christian Republican to rise to power there; we deal with what's there, and make them see that life will be better for them if they play nice.
I've noticed that as well.
LOL! I apologize. Continue with the hysteria.
...and that is not good. The admin. is giving the impression that they are getting cavalier about national security, and are trying to "spin" their way through the political fallout - which gives their political enemies ammunition.
GWB needs to clarify his position here - or there will be others all too happy to do it for him..
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