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Bias and security: On this one, President Bush's instincts are correct
The Boston Globe ^ | 23 Feb 2006 | Editorial

Posted on 02/24/2006 7:40:34 AM PST by Hemingway's Ghost

RARELY HAS Washington flared so quickly into superheated charge and countercharge as it has over the prospect of a Dubai-based company taking over the management of several US ports.

On this one, President Bush's instincts are correct. Unfortunately, as Republican congressional leaders vie with Democrats to be the most inflammatory opponents, an accelerant feeding the flames looks disturbingly like anti-Arab bias. The ports, including New York, Philadelphia, and Miami, are now managed by a British firm, which is selling that business to DP World of Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Bush asked why a Middle Eastern company should face a higher standard, and he still hasn't gotten an answer.

(Excerpt) Read more at boston.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial; Foreign Affairs; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: dubai
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An editorial coming down on the President's side . . . ha!
1 posted on 02/24/2006 7:40:36 AM PST by Hemingway's Ghost
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To: Hemingway's Ghost
One of the few rational comments came yesterday from Senator John McCain: ''We all need to take a moment and not rush to judgment on this matter. . . . Surely [this] administration deserves the presumption that they would not sell our security short."

Sadly, that is not the case, amigos. Anyone seen a budget for a border fence?

2 posted on 02/24/2006 7:44:20 AM PST by thoughtomator (I understand Democrats' impatience; If Kerry were President, Iran would have nuked Israel by now)
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To: Hemingway's Ghost

"Bush asked why a Middle Eastern company should face a higher standard, and he still hasn't gotten an answer."

How about because the vast and overwhelming number of terrorist are in and or come from the middle east and middle eastern governments have been proven to support terrorist activities.

There's his answer, that he ever asked the question in the first place show just how out of touch he and his political advisers truly are.

Whatever moronic adviser thought it was a good idea to ask such a stupid question should be fired.


3 posted on 02/24/2006 7:45:37 AM PST by Bikers4Bush (Flood waters rising, heading for more conservative ground. Vote for true conservatives!)
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To: Hemingway's Ghost

"company taking over the management of several US ports."

See they are still flogging the lie. Port Management is run by the LOCAL GOVERMENT, not by private Companies


4 posted on 02/24/2006 7:46:16 AM PST by MNJohnnie ("Good men don't wait for the polls. They stand on principle and fight."-Soul Seeker)
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To: Bikers4Bush

Well since Ollie North and Tommy Franks, military vets and old Middle East hands, disagree with your assumptions abut UAE, maybe you should feel less and think more on this topic.


5 posted on 02/24/2006 7:47:39 AM PST by MNJohnnie ("Good men don't wait for the polls. They stand on principle and fight."-Soul Seeker)
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To: thoughtomator
When Jimmy Carter and the Boston Pravda come down on your side, you gotta wonder . . .
6 posted on 02/24/2006 7:50:30 AM PST by Hemingway's Ghost (Spirit of '75)
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To: Hemingway's Ghost

And yet so is Tom DeLay. These "appeals to authority" are no more convincing in this deal then they were in the Harriet Miers case.


7 posted on 02/24/2006 7:52:21 AM PST by thoughtomator (I understand Democrats' impatience; If Kerry were President, Iran would have nuked Israel by now)
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To: MNJohnnie

Are you actually denying that there was a connection between the Sept. 11th terrosits and the UAE? Because if you are you should go read the report before swallowing what Tommy and Ollie are feeding you.

Middle eastern governments cannot be trusted. Their ultimate goal is the destruction of the West.


8 posted on 02/24/2006 7:52:35 AM PST by Bikers4Bush (Flood waters rising, heading for more conservative ground. Vote for true conservatives!)
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To: MNJohnnie
Ollie North

To be perfectly honest, I have nothing against Col. North---I find him compelling, for some reason---but we did spend a whole section on him during "Leadership and Law" at USNA as an example of what not to do.

9 posted on 02/24/2006 7:56:31 AM PST by Hemingway's Ghost (Spirit of '75)
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To: thoughtomator
And yet so is Tom DeLay. These "appeals to authority" are no more convincing in this deal then they were in the Harriet Miers case.

Frankly, even this isn't as "bad" as it appears to be, I still don't like it. I don't like knowing that foreign governments have even a tangential influence on our nation's infrastructure. If it was bad for COSCO to take over at Long Beach, it's just as bad for DPI to take over on the East Coast.

Perhaps we should be addressing the question of why it's so unprofitable for an American business to do this kind of work. What are the underlying issues here? Let's fix those.

10 posted on 02/24/2006 7:59:32 AM PST by Hemingway's Ghost (Spirit of '75)
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To: Bikers4Bush
..their ultimate goal is destruction of the west..,

Only dif> These guys smile while they do it & give giant bags of money to our own doublecrossers who have learned or been taught (see photo of you know who kissing you know who) the smile & lie game.

11 posted on 02/24/2006 8:01:29 AM PST by norraad ("What light!">Blues Brothers)
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To: MNJohnnie

"maybe you should feel less and think more on this topic."

That pretty much is the crux of the matter, isn't it?


12 posted on 02/24/2006 8:01:44 AM PST by L98Fiero
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To: Hemingway's Ghost

An editorial from Boston no less.


13 posted on 02/24/2006 8:02:48 AM PST by CWOJackson
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To: Hemingway's Ghost

I'm not totally in favor of the UAE taking over the ports but the more I read the stranger the deal gets P&O is a foreign corp (British) the new company already runs ports in 6 or more countries already. It's my understanding that trhe will only be paperpushers collecting the proper fees etc. the rest of the port business remains in US hands.


14 posted on 02/24/2006 8:04:05 AM PST by snowman1
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To: MNJohnnie
It really worries me when so many congress and senate members (and leaders) rush to get in front of a camera and agree with Chuckie Schummer before bothering to get the facts. Maybe this a result of having too many staffers to do the work (research and investigation)for them and then spoon feed them so they can regurgitate their "opinions" to the MSM.

It is amazing how quickly everyone has been to through President Bush out of the life boat based on misinformation dished out by Hillary and Chuckie.

15 posted on 02/24/2006 8:05:23 AM PST by River_Wrangler (Nothing difficult is ever easy!)
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To: CWOJackson
An editorial from Boston no less.

Scary, eh? What's the dynamic here?

a) Even a broken clock is right twice a day.
b) Something really stinks about this deal.

16 posted on 02/24/2006 8:07:20 AM PST by Hemingway's Ghost (Spirit of '75)
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To: Hemingway's Ghost
An editorial coming down on the President's side . . . ha!

And from the enlightened Globe no less!

17 posted on 02/24/2006 8:08:49 AM PST by p23185
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To: River_Wrangler
It is amazing how quickly everyone has been to through President Bush out of the life boat based on misinformation dished out by Hillary and Chuckie.

To be fair, I've followed this issue pretty closely here on FR, and I haven't yet come across a re-assuring reason from the pro-Dubai Dealers, either. All I hear from them is (1) it's racist to be okay with a British firm doing this and not a Dubai firm, and (2) it's disloyal to conservatism to be uncomfortable with anything Bush does.

18 posted on 02/24/2006 8:11:31 AM PST by Hemingway's Ghost (Spirit of '75)
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To: p23185
And from the enlightened Globe no less!

The very same people who think it's a bad idea to ensure teachers can actually teach the subjects they teach!

19 posted on 02/24/2006 8:12:50 AM PST by Hemingway's Ghost (Spirit of '75)
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To: Hemingway's Ghost

"An anti-Arab bias." How Neandertal that sounds. OTOH if Neandertals had had an anti-Cro-Magnon bias, they might have lasted longer. :-)


20 posted on 02/24/2006 8:15:26 AM PST by Graymatter (...and what are we going to do about it?)
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