Posted on 03/09/2006 2:48:04 PM PST by West Coast Conservative
The decision by the United Arab Emirates on Thursday to order state-controlled Dubai Ports World to end its control over US port facilities marks the lowest point yet in the relationship between President George W. Bush and the Republican-controlled Congress.
Mr Bush had warned repeatedly that blocking the deal would send a dangerously discriminatory message to the world. He threatened repeatedly to veto any congressional legislation.
But with his public approval ratings at record lows and his Republican party abandoning him, one of the US’s closest allies in the Arab world concluded that he was no longer in control in Washington.
The decision by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al- Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai, is likely to avert the political backlash that hit Washington last month and may prevent any further damage to diplomatic and security relations between the countries. But it underscored that Mr Bush, who still has nearly three years to go in his second term, has become perilously weak.
Dennis Hastert, the Republican speaker of the House and one of Mr Bush’s most loyal backers in Congress, emerged from a White House meeting on Thursday morning and signalled that he could not hold back the opposition to the deal. “We want to protect the American people and we will continue to do that,” he said.
“There’s a Republican initiative right now that says, ‘Get us the hell out of here’,” said Frank Lautenberg, a Republican senator from the port state of New Jersey.
The acquisition of five US port terminals by an Arab company became an unlikely target for an outpouring of American anger and fear. While administration officials and port security experts insisted there were no security concerns raised by the transfer of port facilities from a British company to a Dubai company, members of Congress said they were flooded with calls and letters from ordinary Americans angered by the deal.
The White House promise to reopen a national security investigation into the deal, together with a concerted public relations effort by DP World, seemed only to deepen the anger.
More than four years after the September 11 attacks, it brought together a toxic combination of anxieties over America’s place in the world. Traditional protectionists, worried by foreign acquisitions of US assets and the outsourcing of jobs to distant and little-understood countries, lined up alongside security hawks who warned that even a close Arab ally such as the UAE was vulnerable to terrorist infiltration.
"Limbaugh isint what he once was 12 years ago, he now seems to be little more than a pawn, rather than someone about principle.
"
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm...... we will see. I believe he is about principle, but realizes that radio is 'entertainment' and 'information'. All work makes Johnny a dull boy. One must cater to some type of format, screen and prepare for callers. One must have a hook that keeps listeners.
There are concessions in life for most everyone.
Can you throw stones so easily, my friend?
An understandable mistatement of the actual statements based on the weasel words employed by those who testified.
Had to parse the damn things like we used to parse the Xlintons. And what was left was highly dubious. Kenneth Timmerman came to a similar assessment.
They don't. And since they don't, and since I never said they do, I won't bother reading on. I said they must give us our due, and they must.
I used to think so. I have been proven wrong.
Sounds more like Dubai did Bush a favor pulling back from the deal. It takes some heat off W that way.
Send it to Rush. I'm sure he'll read it on his show. /s
He could have been busy vetoing spending bills, and getting the UAE to do it this way...from the get-go. The issue couldn't have come up in the first place. He would have been immensely better off.
But put that aside.
We need to avoid public recriminations, and in particular in that regard, we need to avoid the administration appearing to sulk.
Instead, the President needs to go on television and take ownership of the fix, and thank Congress for its helpful oversight proving the wisdom of our Founder's in setting up our Government this way, conspicuously praising the conservative stalwarts who hung tough and ultimately persuaded him and made the case apparent to him that there were unsuspected issues that needed better care in these transactions. They should be on the White House lawn with him for the photo ops. He should ask them then to see about fixing the CFIUS process to better guarantee security issues are considered.
And then he should crow. Yes. You heard me, crow.
He should praise the UAE for showing that its assurances were not mere form, but substantive, that we have a real ally here, one who only wants to help us, and do business with us, and help our security, and their willingess to 'go the extra mile' and accept an autonomous subsidiary structure proves that.
This is a Win-Win if he does it right. The UAE is lauded, saving face, the President recovers appearing presidential, and is shown being a dynamic force for successful resolution, not an opponent of security...and the Conservatives in Congress get to share in the victory lap. Conspicuously avoided would be any mention of the democrats, or even a HINT of the Arabophobia-condemnation that was previously fired off in a mistaken attempt to triangulate the issue.
he he
<< .... if a sucker is born every minute, what are the voters? >>
Almost to a man?
Superciliously, sanctimoniously and self-righteously self-serving supporters of selected scores of standover and shakedown shuckers and jiving, justifying and rationalizing regiments of ratbag RICO-racketeering robbers. [AKA "politicians]
That was a megaton of hurdles you had to ropa dope. Nice try but no cigar.
The citizens of America won one today...we the people do have a say and the President is not a king.
Then again, sometimes the public is right.
Or maybe not. Maybe they were looking at the plethora of weasel words in the claims made by the administration cabinet officers and the 'expert' talking points.
In particular those of the Coast Guard put every Xlinton-wise conservative on edge as they almost automatically parsed those sentances...abstracting the worthless caveats and the words they neutralized...and concluded what was left was extremely dubious. And everything else was unsubstantiated overstatement and thin reassurances.
Kenneth Timmerman came to a similar conclusion as the leading republicans.
Bush comes out stronger ? What color is the sky in your world ?
The American people do not trust Arabs. Period. And they don't want to either. Period. There was no way this could ever be sold.
And sold is the operative term. The UAE thought it had greased the right people and therefore it would sail through. They were shocked by this democratic consent of the governed thing. They were disgusted at the weakness of a ruler who did not respond by filling bags with severed heads as they would have. That these low born American vermin should dare to talk back to the Emir has insulted them.
They think every American has his price. They guessed wrong.
<< Arab ally senses Bush no longer has control in Washington >>
What wishful thinking rubbish.
The writers clearly don't have a clue about the office of president in America's Constitutional Republican government.
Its my bet the passionately anonymous President Bush simply made a call and asked his Dubai friends - and America's - to sell their Dubai company to their American company.
And then, to crown that, he timed his signing of the Patriot Act to absolutely seal his ownership of the delusionally fantasized, "win," the "demagoguing "Democrats" and their cravenly cowardly brown nosing "republican" shyster shills and bag carriers were set to "celebrate."
Way to go, Mr President!
Roughly the same percentage that bothers to write or call their representatives.
What a superb post ! The gut instinct of the American people smelled danger. It saw public risk for private gain. It smelled a greased insider deal. It smelled that the fix was in. And in life your gut instincts are generally right.
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