Posted on 02/24/2006 3:41:11 AM PST by saveliberty
By Tony Snow
Feb 24, 2006
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Washington was wracked last week by a spasm of Know-Nothingism, starring Democratic and Republican members of Congress whose hysterics confirmed the Founders' view that the president, and not the legislature, ought to handle matters of national security.
At issue was a takeover of the British shipping firm P&O by a United Arab Emirates holding company, Dubai Ports World. The transaction, first reported in the British press last Oct. 30, should have been routine. P&O leases cargo terminals at a half-dozen U.S. ports, and pays the longshoremen who load and unload ships.
The ownership change wouldn't have affected anybody on American soil. DPW had agreed to keep the old British management team (comprised of Americans) in charge and would have retained the all-American force of longshoremen at the terminals.
Nevertheless, politicians acted as if the Bush administration, which gave its blessing to the deal, had just exposed America's tender commercial neck to the glinting scimitars of Araby. Republicans behaved worst.
Rep. Tom DeLay denounced the deal as "outrageous." Sen. Bill Frist vowed to put the decision "on hold." Rep. Peter King warned darkly of "very serious al-Qaida connections." And Rep. Sue Myrick, in the most childish letter ever written a president by someone other than a child, wrote: "In regards to selling American ports to the United Arab Emirates, not just NO -- but HELL NO!"
One problem: The United States didn't sell anything. Local port authorities still own the ports, including the cargo terminals rented by firms such as Dubai Ports. The Coast Guard still has exclusive responsibilities for security on the water. The Coast Guard, Customs Service, Border Patrol and local law enforcement still have the duty of maintaining security on the ground. The workforce affected by the change -- fewer than 400 laborers -- by law must have passed federal background checks.
The fulminating honorables would have known this if even one of them had bothered to contact a single person working at or running a port. When asked whether anybody at any port in the land had contacted him with a single security concern since the P&O/DPW deal was announced four months ago, Rep. King replied, "No."
The ignorance didn't stop there. Many critics of the deal also seemed to know nothing of the security cooperation between the United States and the UAE. To reject the deal would be to slap a government that has provided on-the-ground intelligence from the opening salvo of the war on terror. Gen. Tommy Franks notes that the UAE's much-criticized "recognition" of the Taliban actually enabled the country to do first-rate spying. The UAE provided maps and information for the opening invasion of Afghanistan.
The UAE since has put troops on the ground in Afghanistan and Iraq, in active and humanitarian missions. It trains Iraqi forces on its soil. It lets the United States conduct flights through its airspace. It has housed servicemen -- and women -- from the Army, Navy, Marines and Air Force. It maintains the largest U.S. naval facility outside the United States, and Dubai Ports World performs contract service at the port.
It was the first government in the region to comply with the "container security" program launched by the Bush administration, testing every container for nuclear contamination. It now is working to develop technology that would permit the swift and thorough scanning of all containers. Its central bank has become quite active in choking off terror financing. It has rounded up a fair number of al-Qaida operatives and handed them over to the United States, and once -- long ago -- offered to serve as the agent for delivering Osama bin Laden from the Sudan to the Clinton administration.
If the United States were to kill the deal merely because Dubai Ports World was from Dubai, it would send a devastating message to allies in the war on terror: We don't want you, even if you have placed your citizens in harm's way, actively fought the terror cells, and committed blood and treasure to the war itself. This is nothing short of suicidal at a time when the Muslim world is a tinderbox and the United States has been tarred as Public Enemy No. 1.
The good news is that politicians appreciate the absurdity of the position. On Thursday, Karl Rove extended an olive branch, noting that the administration is willing to let Congress study the matter for 45 days, if necessary.
Sen. Chuck Schumer, who got this riot started, quickly declared that he would like that. The White House knows that, in time, facts will annihilate the Know-Nothings, who have swilled a cocktail of ignorance and knee-knocking fear of Muslim Arabs.
The Rove proffer gives both parties a chance to crawl off the shaky limb before they make a tough situation infinitely worse.
Tony Snow is the host of the 'Tony Snow Show' on Fox News Radio.
Copyright © 2006 Tony Snow
Thanks, mathluv! I will miss you too! :-(
I think you are right in the adverse effects in information gathering on the GWOT.
I like it!
The Snowman, Charles Krauthammer and Rush have all been reasoned and thoughtfull on this manner. Everyone else has had a knee-jerk reaction and are appearing foolish.
We elected the President and I intend to allow him to protect this country as best he can.
Elites biting at his ankles, joining the far left is not my idea of being with the right crowd.
Certain pundits have become a 6th. column, if you will.
Proving that their opinions are to usurp the power of the President because they know better.
After all, just look at how many callers to certain shows suggest the host run for President.
That hubris is going to harm this country as much as the hubris of the 5th. column, the media.
freepmail
http://www.dpworld.ae/index.html
Click on port virtual tour
http://portal.pohub.com/portal/page?_pageid=36,1,36_31159:36_34057&_dad=pogprtl&_schema=POGPRTL
Click on North America for info about each port and number of berths
Some of our so called elite talkers have gotten carried away with unforgivable hubris.
And I don't forget that Sean's other best friends include Leo Terrell, Lanny Davis, Charlie Rangel, and assorted other America hating liberals.
Yep...and he seems to have a lot of new friends here on FR this week.
Screw calm heads....lets all run around waving our arms screaming shrilly. Chuck Schumer...the lastest poster child for the True Conservative movement.
LOL!
It struck me this morning that Jimmy Carter probably came out in favor precisely because he thought we had sold the ports themselves -- would make his Panama Canal thing look like the wave of the future!
He was running around with slick willie supporting Gerry Adams during the last administration.
Now King is saying he is just representing the many people who have called and emailed his office.
No mention of the many many thousands of dollars in campaign donations from the longshoremen.
Your problem is, you really are a Know-Nothing, and you don't know it. Your life is filled with boogeymen that you conveniently blame for all your problems.
To don't know that you don't know puts you in the same status with my one-eyed cat.
She gets through life pretty well, and entertains me a great deal, but she doesn't participate in any important decisions, nor does she weigh in with cliche-filled, conspiratorial posts about the "military industrial complex" on Free Republic.
In a sense, I guess, she's actually smarter than you, since she has the good sense to only do the things she can do.
Which SHOULD have been FReepers first clue that there was more to the story than first met the eye.
Schmuckie Schumer lit the match and the varmihts that post and run here on FR were right there to fuel the fire.
Genuine FReepers take a breath. And a lesson.
I couldn't agree with you more!
LLS
"...Both of them started accusing those who do not agree with them of being koolaide drinkers...they used the term a lot.
Those koolaide drinkers would include General Tommy Franks and Colonel Ollie North....."
I don't really like koolaide (unless my granddaughters make it for me), but if those two gentlemen and Tony will have me, I guess I'm drinking with 'em.
I'd love it if the General or Colonel were to call him on this today.
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