Posted on 02/25/2006 11:10:01 PM PST by smoothsailing
Jack Kelly: The phony fracas
Sorry folks, but United Arab Emirates is a key American ally
Sunday, February 26, 2006
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
What do the arrests of three suspected Muslim terrorists in Ohio have to do with the purchase by an Arab company of the firm that manages facilities at six U.S. seaports?
Nothing ... and everything.
The Justice Department indicted Tuesday Mohammad Zaki Amawi, 26, of Toledo; Marwan Othman al-Hindi, 42, of Toledo; and Wassim Mazloum, 24, of Cleveland, on charges of plotting to kill U.S. military personnel.
A fourth person is mentioned in the indictment. He is "the trainer," a U.S. military combat veteran and "respected member of the Muslim community" in Toledo from whom the plotters sought weapons training and bomb making advice.
The "trainer" reported the terrorists to the FBI, and agreed to work undercover to build the case against them.
So what does this have to do with the purchase by Dubai Ports World of the British firm that manages commercial operations at ports in New York, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Miami and New Orleans? Bush administration approval of the sale has united Democrats and Republicans in fury. Conservative pundits are apoplectic.
"The Dubai ports fracas will become a flap, quickly swell into a firestorm, then become a debacle before settling into the history books as a 'historic miscalculation' -- providing the Republicans only lose the Congress," predicted James Lileks of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.
On the left, Jack Cafferty, CNN's resident bozo, opined the ports deal could be grounds for impeachment.
Distilled to its essence, the argument against the sale is that Dubai Ports World is an Arab firm, and it was Arabs who attacked us on 9/11 (including Marwan al Shehhi, a citizen of the United Arab Emirates, who flew..
(Excerpt) Read more at post-gazette.com ...
That alone should have clued in the opponents of the deal they were on the wrong side.
Great article.
Frist seems to think he has a veto-proof Congress, and the UAE seems to agree.
Finally... a voice of reason.
This whole thing is silly.
And now the hearings begin.Sheesh.
The last thing Dubai needs is a bunch of congressional gasbags running to microphones and leaking to the NYT.
Jimmy Carter is fallible, you know - he can't ALWAYS be wrong. ;)
As the facts are over coming the deliberate lies in this fabricated non-crisis they won't be any need for a veto.
Yep, it just gives UBL more material to recruit with. "look the USA is a bunch of racist dogs"
Let's see:
"We" have a powerless, big-mouthed former president who is of no threat other than that big yap of his.
"YOU" have this CNN windbag who's on EVERY DAY pushing a liberal agenda, and a socialist who is trying to build up her hawk credentials so she can become the next President of the United States.
If I happen to agree with Jimmy on this one issue, the net result to the country will be zero--he's not a political force, he's jsut a bigmouthed pain in the ass.
You, on the other hand, are giving aid and comfort to the MSM, emboldening them in their attacks on our embattled president, and may very well be helping HRC become the president, and at the very least making it more possible that more dems running for congress in '06 will be able to show their "tough" stance on terror based on this sole issue.
I may be following Jimmy over a cliff on my own, but you're pushing all of us over.
Another way to look at it is you know you're really screwed up when even Jimmy Carter gets it right.
LMAO. Still at it hugh...
You should consider putting your petty dislike of the President aside and try it.
Jimmy Carter hasn't gotten anything right in 30 years. He still hasn't...
Please see my post #12.
This whole thing is silly.
And it could easily have been avoided had we not rushed to believe the MSM spin. And shame on folks like the otherwise wonderful Michelle Malkin. Her credibility on immigration lent weight to this BS story.
And now the hearings begin.Sheesh.
I have a feeling they will mostly go the way of the wiretapping story, but maybe not because THIS story may have legs due to the Republicans who are politicising it for their own purposes, like that moron with her "Not just no, HELL NO!" letter.
The last thing Dubai needs is a bunch of congressional gasbags running to microphones and leaking to the NYT.
If you were a citizen of Dubai right now, wouldn't you be thinking 'THIS is what we get for all our help in the WOT?'
And what about the next country we try to pull over to our side in the region? Will we say "We have a chance to pull over a former Al Qaeda country to our side," or "Their banks launder money, sorry, can't deal with you till you're a democracy!"?
I suppose it was my petty dislike of the President that caused me to vote for him in 2004.
There is someone rather petty around here though.
Damn, it must suck when even Carter has more integrity.
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