How Bush handled DP World issue

Khaleej Times ^ | March 12, 2006 | pbrown

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THE discussions over the DP World issue are going round in circles. There's both hope and hopelessness. All things considered, the inescapable feeling is that President Bush has not handled this issue in a proper way, and that things haven't gone the way it should have. Worse, and more embarrassingly, word went round that he “didn't know what was happening!”

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As the writer of this piece says, there was a big communication gap. The people around Bush are doing him a huge disservice.

[muawiyah]

You guys are all crazy ~ this was, as far as the US could possibly be concerned, a minor billion dollar chump change deal.

Although Democratic party propagandists in the media had earlier trumpeted it as the purchase of 6 major ports, it was little more than a handful of cranes at some dockside operations you'd be afraid to visit in the daytime, to say nothing of at night.

This simply isn't the sort of issue that's run past the President for prior consideration.

The attempt to make this something important has been pitiful.

The only good to come out of it is that we now know who the Chicom agents are in the Congress ~ and that's definitely something that's gotta' be dealt with, and soon, like today!

[NonValueAdded]

Let's apply a Glenn Beck "just an isolated incident" analysis to the Ports World (doesn't that sound like a theme park?) kerfluffle. Didja happen to notice that the renewal of the Patriot Act was underway at the time? How many RATS who were inclined to vote against it were pinned up against their DPW stance and forced to vote for the Patriot Act to avoid being accused of a Kerryesque straddle? Hmmmm? Karl, do we see your hand prints on this? Impressive! This grasshopper sits in awe.

Incidentally, Congress is on the lookout for the killer bill that all can support and bring back to their constituents for the '06 election saying "see what I did for you!" One cycle it was the cable bill designed to "lower" our rates ha! do you see how well that one worked out? This year it was to be the bill to kick out DPW but those rascally arabs didn't play along. I wonder what they will come up with now. A Republican with stones should amend the bill to kick the Chinese out of the west coast ports and see the rats scurry for cover.

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So are you saying that his people should get a raise for the way they handled this in getting out their message to the American people?

[TheForceOfOne]

Worse, and more embarrassingly, word went round that he “didn't know what was happening!”

There isn't any embarrassment to be had by the president, this was purely political opportunism by Democrats to look tough on national security. There are hundreds and hundreds of these deals made every year.

To expect the president to review each deal is asinine. Conservatives shot themselves and the president in the foot by letting the Democrats play this game.

And now, the Democrats are bailing out trying to leave those Conservatives who abandoned the president holding the bag as they howl they were driven to this fear mongering by the presidents insistence on promoting the WOT and his attack on Muslim nations.

Fools!

[FReepaholic]

...more embarrassingly, word went round that he “didn't know what was happening!” ...

What a load of Barbara Striesand.

Why would a President know about the lease agreements of a few port terminals?

What about companies leasing storefronts in the nation's malls, should the President know the details about these also?

He's a President, not a god. He's not omniscient.

[rodeocowboy]

This whole thing blowing up is Bush's fault. He is a political retard. He could have quashed the hype as soon as he found out by stating exactly what you just posted (which tells me that even you are a better politician than Bush and all of his advisors put together). 1/2 of being President is pushing your agenda/policies, the other half is being a good politician to get them enacted. Bush is a retard and I can't wait to see him gone and then seeing a good, CONSERVATIVE, politically-wise, person take his place if Bush hasn't already ruined it for the next guy by 2008.

[muawiyah]

Yeah, what happened to those lower cable rates?

[bvw]

"Didja happen to notice that the renewal of the Patriot Act was underway at the time? How many RATS who were inclined to vote against it were pinned up against their DPW stance and forced to vote for the Patriot Act to avoid being accused of a Kerryesque straddle? Hmmmm? Karl, do we see your hand prints on this?"

Rove or Providence! ;-)

The parallel affect applied to the GOP side. Perhaps a number of GOP stalwarts who would have stood on what seemed to be the administration's side (pro-UAE ports deal), instead felt they had to take a tack consistent with their vote for the Pat Act.

[TheForceOfOne]

Did you vote for president Bush?

[MineralMan]

"The only good to come out of it is that we now know who the Chicom agents are in the Congress ~ and that's definitely something that's gotta' be dealt with, and soon, like today!"

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That's confusing, given the huge vote in the committee against the port deal. Are all those reps "Chicom" agents? And, how does China come into the Dubai Ports World deal at all?

What's clear is that, right or wrong, the congresscritters who voted against the deal had heard, in no uncertain terms, from their constituents. They voted on that basis, not on a factual basis. That's no surprise.

Personally, I'm opposed to any company that is owned by an Islamic government from having any control of any port facilities in this country. That's my opinion, and it includes any existing companies that already have such a position. I'm also opposed to any control over any port facilities by the PRC.

Still, I'm not a congressperson or anything else...just a lowly citizen, so my opinion can be taken for what it is...one person's opinion.

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There are hundreds and hundreds of these deals made every year.

Deals that Jane and John Q citizen, knows absolutely nothing about.

When the name, UAE is put out there in conjunction with our ports....

They should have seen a potential problem on the horizon and been out in front of it and tried to head it off. Instead, Bush, said he would use the veto pen to push it through.

[deport]

Hang on.... we'll have McCain/Barbour as the ticket in 08 and Lott back as ML.... That ought to give some the willies.

[muawiyah]

Hey, genius that I am it took me 2 full days to get past the propaganda and obfuscation to find out what the deal really was.

I don't expect anybody at the White House to be as good as me at this sort of thing.

As some here recall I saved "W"'s 2000 election as President, and that was almost undone by Senator Warner.

The Dem spinmeisters did a masterful job on this one. I am sure Mossad took notice too, and if I were a Dem politician I'd be really worried about that.

[raybbr]

Why would a President know about the lease agreements of a few port terminals?

When CFIUS is involved and the "company" is actually part of a foreign govt. he should have known.

[NonValueAdded]

yeah, there was some blow-back but it served to flush out the weak links, didn't it? Lost in all the strum und drang was the fact that DPW offered to pay for stepped up security that would have gone a long way to fixing the "5% problem." When all was said and done, these would have been the most secure terminals we had going.

[raybbr]

Did you vote for president Bush?

I did. He misrepresented himself as a conservative. So much for his principles. Also. What other choice did I have?

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When he said he would use the veto pen, that's what set everybody off. For the first time in his presidency he threatened the dreaded, 'pen'. Now how do you think the average American took that comment? I believe most saw it as, 'hey, this deal is going through whether you like it or not'.

That was the worse thing he could have said concerning that deal.

[TheForceOfOne]

You''re assuming there was a problem, the deal was reviewed. The Democrats turned it into a political football and knee jerk reactionaries jumped on board without seeing any details of what was approved, then approved gleefully when the deal was destroyed, still without any knowledge of the deal.

Congress critters relied on MSM polling data which always conforms to the Democratic point of view and the suckers gobbled it up in panic and hysteria. It was an embarrassment by Republicans and all those who acted similarly.

[muawiyah]

We know who wrote the legislation the Appropriations Committee voted on. That's the guy who has to be hauled kicking and screaming from the House floor to a holding cell in the nearest DOJ building pending trial.

It's long overdue to get on with it.