Posted on 03/03/2006 9:36:59 AM PST by Stellar Dendrite
The 45-day delay for more investigation into the United Arab Emirates-owned Dubai Ports World looked last week like a port in a political storm. Now it looks more like a trap.
The 45-day review at best freezes the debate in place, preserving a status quo in which the White House is taking a political pounding. At worst, it allows the opponents of the deal, who have the offensive, to keep picking away at it, whether by airing (and distorting) past Coast Guard concerns about DP World or highlighting the company's participation in the Arab boycott of Israel. The White House, incredibly, is on the wrong side of a 70-20 national-security issue that has more resonance than the Patriot Act and the National Security Agency wiretapping program. This is simply a debacle, shaping up as a lose-lose for Bush. If he loses on the Hill, he will be humiliated and identified with the unpopular deal. If he wins, it’s hard to see how he won't be doing so against the grain of public opinion, harming himself on national security in a cause — having DP World manage the terminals — that is not of fundamental importance.
The deal is unpopular among Republicans — almost 60 percent of whom oppose it, according to polls. The ports controversy is actually wreaking the damage on Bush's political base that the Harriet Miers nomination only threatened to inflict. Congressional Republicans aren’t going to let Sen. Chuck Schumer, who will surely find a reason to oppose the deal no matter what, get to their right on port security, and many of them actively want to split with the president on a high-profile issue.
Although many of our friends have sincere doubts about the deal, we have yet to hear a compelling argument against it. So it is with regret that we say the deal should be jettisoned. That seems to be where the trajectory of this controversy is headed anyway, and the sooner it happens the less painful it will be for the administration. There are many more important issues on which Bush should, nay must, spend his dwindling political capital, the war in Iraq foremost among them. To realize this is to prioritize, not to panic.
Nixing the deal will be a blow to our relationship with the UAE, but Bush should get credit from them for fighting for the deal and sticking up for Dubai. Surely there will be some subtle way to compensate the UAE in another area. Bush's credibility with Congress — after his veto threat and saber rattling — will take a blow. But not as large a blow as he would suffer if he kept fighting and lost (or if the issue were to stay red hot and contribute to a GOP loss of Congress). Republican members of Congress will surely be relieved to put the controversy behind them.
The technicalities of how to do that will have to be worked out, but the 45-day delay itself shows that, in this case, the legalities can be massaged to suit the politics. Whatever the exit strategy ultimately is, it won't be pretty. But nothing about this episode has been edifying. Bush should get out as soon as he can.
ping
This reads like week old birdcage liner.
Huh the Republican house of Representatives was on the wrong side on impeachment according to the polls, I guess NRO was against that also.
bttt
Very interesting article....thanks for the ping. I see that the tide has turned on FR (in favor of the deal). However, most conservatives I speak to in the president's own West Texas (of all places) are vehemently against the deal.
As expected, the MSM is using this story as another opportunity to score points against the Bush admin. Oh...and the terrorist-coddling Democrats have suddenly become national security champions.
The next few days will bring no changes because the MSM will continue to pimp its lies and "fake but accurate" news. Doesn't help that the conservative media is split on this issue.
i LOVE your tagline!!!
(Denny Crane: "I Don't Want To Socialize With A Pinko Liberal Democrat Commie. Say What You Like About Republicans. We Stick To Our Convictions. Even When We Know We're Dead Wrong.")
The GOP will have no choice but to kill this deal eventually. Politically it's a loser for them letting it go forward.
I'm sorry, but the more we hear about this deal, about how the ports sytem really works, and about the UAE, the better Dubya looks for having the right view of this deal from the outset and having the convictions of his beliefs to fight for it.
Detractors of this deal, Dims and Repubs alike, are looking more and more like shrill xenophobes with their objections.
It's no wonder that this country has come to accept a "living, breathing Constitution" without much hesitation at all.
Just a question, who has killed more terrorists, The President as Commander-in-Chief or the writers from behind their laptops at NRO?
Ah, so they're not stupid- just unprincipled. Prefering to conduct war by policies stupid people aren't frightened by rather than by the best policies for success.
I subscribe to NR, but plan to let it lapse.
Those guys are pussies.
I'd have to agree.
What? They haven't heard a compelling argument against the deal, yet they want to cave in? So now President Bush is suppose to react to poll numbers instead of what he believes is the right thing? Unbelievable!
I'm sure the Unions are chomping at the bit!
arguments against UAE:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1589267/posts
House Armed Services Committee Duncan Hunter said the United Arab Emirates has a "terrifying" record of allowing the transshipment of nuclear materials and weapons of mass destruction through its country to Pakistan, Iran and other countries.
Hunter said that in 2003, despite U.S. protests, United Arab Emirates customs officials allowed 66 American high-speed electrical switches, which can be used for detonating nuclear weapons, to be sent to a Pakistani businessman with ties to the Pakistani military.
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percentage of UAE votes AGAINST the US @ UN
2004: 87.5%
2003: 100%
2002: 82.4%
2001: 100%
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dubai is one of the most important conduits for iran's nuclear technology acquisition program, in addition to north korea. additionally they were affiliated with AQ Khan and worked with him closely. in 2003, UAE officials refused a U.S. request to intercept a shipment of nuclear technology bound for south africa by a smuggler named Asher Karni
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UAE funds HAMAS (a terrorist organization that kills jews and has killed AMERICANS abroad, they also have terror cells within the united states).
the crowned prince of dubai purchased the building for CAIR headquarters in washington DC, a radical islamic organization-- a front group for HAMAS. it led the effort to get michael graham of talk radio fame silenced, and seeks to silence any criticism of islam. additionally, they're working to get sharia law implemented in canada. they are also funded by george soros, have leadership/affiliations with ACORN, A.N.S.W.E.R., CODE PINK, Vietnam Veterans Against the War (john kerry's friends), LA RAZA, National Laywers Guild, People For The American Way, and so on.
additionally, the president of UAE just met with abbas the other day and stated that they stood with the palestinian people to help create a palestinian state with JERUSALEM as the captial.
the UAE has the same political "rights" as Iran.
BTW, they also went to the UN to try to get the international community to force israel to tear down it's wall.
since 9/11 the treasury department has been stonewalled by the emirates in trying to track Osama's bank accounts
all the information is on my FR homepage (and more)
PresBush needs to place American interests front and center. End this bureaucratic blunder NOW.
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