Posted on 03/09/2006 10:40:13 AM PST by Baconian
President Bush is proving to be his own worst enemy. At times, it is as if he labors through the night to divest himself of any semblance of concern (read: respect) for those who fought to get him elected.
The latest example of said propensity is his dogmatic support of the United Arab Emirates-owned Dubai Ports World takeover of U.S. ports.
President Bush has expressed concern over how the Arab world would view the scuttling of the ports sale deal. I submit he should be more concerned with how the Americans who put him in office view the deal.
He has repeatedly claimed the sale in no way presents a threat to our security. He has tried to quell the rising tide of criticism by selling the public on the United Arab Emirates being a strong ally in the war on terror. Maybe they are, maybe they aren't, but to put that line of reasoning into a more appropriate context, it is important to remember recent history.
Charles "Lucky" Luciano – the Godfather of Godfather's and progenitor of modern organized crime, i.e., the Mafia – struck a deal with U.S. military intelligence during World War II. Luciano agreed to provide assistance by having the Mafia watch our ports and waterfronts for any indication of compromise by the Axis (Germany, Italy and later Japan). The Mafia boss also agreed to furnish intelligence for the United States as our units moved through the Italian peninsula. After the war, he continued to assist military intelligence, providing information on the communists infiltrating resistance groups and the local government.
Luciano even went so far as to have the other notorious criminal, Dutch Schultz, murdered because Schultz was determined to assassinate New York prosecutor Thomas Dewey. Amazingly, he protected Dewey from Schultz even as Dewey was prosecuting him.
In return, Luciano was permitted to run his criminal organization from prison, and still later, as part of the deal, he was released after serving 10 years of what was to have been a 30 to 50 year sentence.
The point of this little historical stroll is that Charles "Lucky" Luciano did not stop being what he was, nor did the mutually beneficial detente between himself, the prosecutors and the government change his character. He helped because it was in his best interest to do so. The Mafia had been relentlessly persecuted by fascists and, thus, they hated fascism with a passion only they could fully appreciate.
Ergo, while Dubai may well be doing everything the president says, that still doesn't make them our friends. They are exceedingly wealthy criminals with terrorist predilections at the very least. If there is one lesson to be learned from Luciano and those like him, it is that the leopard not only doesn't change its spots, it cannot change its spots.
When the president seeks to reassure us on this deal – we would be fools to not look to the Southwest at the endless stream of illegal aliens crossing our borders. As he seeks to reassure us, does he expect us to forget that the overwhelming majority of the 11-plus million illegals came here – and continue to come here – on his watch? As he assures us that this is a good deal (lopsidedly for the UAE), he omits that he has made similar arguments pursuant to Mexico.
Yet on a regular basis, Vicente Fox blasts America and her people while doing his level best to countermand our lawful immigration policies. Complicating things even more are the capable anti-American, anti-Constitution American Civil Liberties Union and liberal courts. Now the president wants us to forget that not only are Mexicans proudly coming here illegally, but that Qurans and other Arabic paraphernalia are also being found along the same paths illegal Mexicans are using. Will he next ask us to believe the Mexicans are converting to Islam?
We didn't elect Bush to be a globalist – we elected him to continue the tradition of Ronald Reagan. A reader wrote in response to my column, "Giving Away the House," that the quid pro quo for selling off American assets to foreign-owned companies is that some of the deficit dollars sent abroad will end up back here vis-a-vis the purchase of productive assets, property acquisitions, etc.
Our mutual point of contention is that because of those we have elected, we find ourselves in this situation. Simply put, gratuitously spending what they don't have has not only jeopardized our economy, it now threatens our security.
President Bush has an obligation to protect America – trying to convince us that a bad deal is good is not the right way to do it. The UAE has a spotty record and an incestuous relationship with terrorist elements.
We should be thinking of America first. I should also say that while the president may need cold water splashed in his face to wake him up, the leprous liberals – who are jumping on the anti-ports sale bandwagon for political gain – are complicit in the threat to American security. When I look at them, I see terror with English surnames juxtaposed to Arabic ones.
Do you like cheese?
In Before the ZOT!
Great headline!
I got out of the shower for this?
Oh, yeah...welcome to Free Republic. I hope your stay isn't too short to suit you, but I'm not confident.
IB4TZ?
Bush needs to meet weekly with a bunch of average folks so he can get out of his gilded cage!!
IBTZ!
This has nothing to do with being "anti-Muslim" or "anti-global" or whatever. Dubai, tho ostensibly an "ally" has had serious problems with drugs, arms trafficking, money laundering for Al Qaeda, not to mention the friendly terms between the UAE emirs and OBL himself
This president is currently being ill-served by his advisors on this point. Makes the admin. look like they'll put 'bizness before nat'l security...
Explain (??)
Well, whatever. I agree more than disagree with the article posted. It's one of the more vexing things about the admin. right now...
China already controls parts of ports in citys all along the western and eastern borders.. and to get all upset about a few Muzzies foing the same strains credibily.. Who controls parts of all our airports?..
The Mob continues to bribe politicians of all kinds for the purpose of making sure that its control of the docks is never challenged, nor looked at too closely by the federal government.
It sure seemed to me as if the politicians were reacting to the question of a 45 day investigatory period pretty much as they would if the Mob bosses told them to "kill the deal".
Be good for the writer of the above referenced article to investigate Mob involvement in the docks a little more, and maybe see if they are still doing direct payoffs, or did they move uptown by rotating their money through a PAC or two.
Still waiting for the Dems to tell their Chinese masters in California to move out of those ports. Won't hold my breath.
I smell bacon flavored cheese.
The cats like that as well.
It was pure Chi-com double-speak. Guy sold us out ~ and a lot of them in the California delegation seem to have that tendency these days.
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