Posted on 03/02/2006 6:26:44 PM PST by AntiGuv
WASHINGTON - One of the most prominent House Republicans on military issues said Thursday he would try to scuttle a Dubai-based company's effort to manage U.S. ports as lawmakers' complaints about the Bush administration's handling of the issue continued to spread.
"Dubai cannot be trusted," said Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., chairman of the House Armed Services Committee and normally one of the administration's most trusted allies. He called the United Arab Emirates "a bazaar for terrorist nations" and asserted that the United States should not permit DP World to take over significant operations at six U.S. ports.
"I intend to do everything I can to kill the deal," Hunter said.
Across Capitol Hill, lawmakers criticized the Bush administration anew following disclosures that the United States had launched a fresh investigation Tuesday into a proposed business deal by a second Dubai-owned company. Also sparking the furor was word of a previously unconfirmed investigation into a separate transaction by a leading Israeli software firm.
The government initially approved DP World's $6.8 billion purchase of London-based Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Co. But on Sunday, the administration agreed to a 45-day investigation of potential security risks to quell a political backlash.
"Too little, too late," Hunter said.
Opening a hearing on the matter, Hunter said it was "quite remarkable" that the administration did not initially undertake a full review of security implications, given that the company is owned by the United Arab Emirates — "a bazaar for terrorist nations to receive prohibited components from sources from the free world and from the non-free world."
Hunter listed instances between 1994 and 2003 in which he said the country helped move materials for weapons of mass destruction, such as heavy water and high-speed electrical switches, to Pakistan, Iran and other countries. He plans to introduce legislation that would require U.S. companies to be the sole owners of infrastructure critical to national security.
The chairman's sharp remarks underscore the political tempest the White House has run into at a time when events in Iraq and renewed interest in the administration's failures in responding to Hurricane Katrina have pushed President Bush's popularity downward.
Sen. John Warner, R-Va., chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, has sided with the administration on the DP World deal. He and the White House have praised the United Arab Emirates as a key ally in the fight against terrorism.
Congressional GOP leaders want to wait for the results of the administration's new DP World investigation before considering legislation to delay or block the deal.
House Democrats tried to force a debate and vote on legislation Thursday that would require the 45-day security review and congressional approval of the takeover. That effort failed on a procedural, largely party-line vote.
Leading Democrats on the House Homeland Security Committee also asked the administration for details about all pending reviews of foreign business deals and any that have been conducted since the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks.
The U.S. has conducted only 25 such investigations among 1,600 business transactions reviewed by the Committee on Foreign Investments in the United States since 1988. The panel, made up of 12 government representatives, judges the security risks of foreign companies buying or investing in American industry.
Rep. Peter King, chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, complained that he learned about the second Dubai investigation from news reports, despite regular meetings and discussions with the administration and others on the ports issue recently.
"Maybe they still haven't gotten their act together over the last few days," said King, R-N.Y.
Senior U.S. officials told lawmakers they will try to inform Congress better in the future.
"We clearly have to do quite a bit in finding ways to provide you more promptly with the information you need," Deputy Treasury Secretary Robert Kimmitt told the Senate Banking Committee.
Dubai International Capital LLC confirmed Thursday it faced investigation over its plans to buy a British precision-engineering company, Doncasters Group Ltd., with plants in Georgia and Connecticut that make parts used in engines for military aircraft and tanks.
The same U.S. review panel also is investigating plans by an Israeli software company, Check Point Software Technologies Ltd., to purchase a smaller U.S. rival.
Kimmitt said U.S. officials notified congressional leaders and oversight committees about the second Dubai-related investigation Monday. The company's lawyers were notified the following day.
I'm understanding that managing the ports is not the deal. Actually the deal is the managing certain terminals in the ports. Is this correct? If so, those saying that ports are going to be managed by the UAE are intentionally misleading, right?
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Hank, as a point of reference, here's the official position the Port of Houston Authority has taken. It explains quite a bit:
http://www.irconnect.com/poha/pages/news_releases.html?d=94774
Now we find Duncan Hunter going down the same road as his ol'buddy Murtha.
So, you know more about Duncan than the rest of us do ~ but he's a committee chairman. We thought we knew the guy as well, but obviously we were wrong. May I suggest that as long as he's a chairman of a House committee he holds a NATIONAL LEVEL job and he's as important to us as he is to you. But if you want him back taking care of just his constituents, and not answering to the rest of us for what appears to be an effort to destabilize our military efforts in the Middle East, ask him to step down from that chairmanship.
It is the primary base of operations for our Persian Gulf and other supporting Naval fleets.
It is our staging ground for our activities in Iraq.
Without it, we will have to withdraw almost completely from the Middle East.
It is my belief that the people stirring the pot on the container ship gantries are doing so for the purpose of driving us out of Dubai. That is, they are engaged in what is actually an act of war against the United States.
They should be taken out and hanged.
What was it you were saying about "security"? This is security ~ and you are not supporting it.
YOU SAID..."I don't think the RINOs are "blindly" following anybody. They are in on the deal, and the deal is with AlQaida."
DISGUSTING.
Disagreeing with somebody is one thing. Calling Duncan Hunter, JD Hayworth, Curt Weldon, and other Republicans who have raised issues with this deal traitors and collaborators with our sworn enemy is beneath contempt.
And none of the 'conservative' 'patriotic' oldtimers around here have any problem with this post???
Well I find it offensive.
This bull$hit is getting out of hand.
It all smells like leftist agitprop to me.
People like Duncan Hunter really do need to explain themselves better. What they are proposing could very well destabilize the situation with Dubai to a degree that we are left without a safe base of operations in the Middle East. That will endanger our troops who are deployed there, and also world access to Persian Gulf oil reserves.
Just where do you guys come from who are always tooting Duncan Hunter's horn? He's far from the smartest, best or most patriotic congressmen we've ever had ~ do some thinking on your own in this situation. Duncan is WRONG unless he's working for the "other side".
You're right, I was against the COSCO deal too, but that is a long past deal that is done. Now, what would be great is if the current deal with Dubai is stopped then the COSCO contract should also immediately be declared null and void. If it will not work for one hostile or terrorist supporting foreign country then it should not work for any other. The rats would be screwed because their own words on the Dubai deal would make it easy to say COSCO goes also.
Thank you for that link as well as the one in the following post!
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