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Lawyer and Horseman Joseph Muldoon Jr. (Sometimes All It Takes Is One Great American)
The Washinton Post ^ | March 23, 2008 | Matt Schudel

Posted on 03/24/2008 11:45:45 AM PDT by khnyny

Joseph A. Muldoon Jr., who died March 16 of prostate cancer at his home in Poolesville, knew practically everything about the arcane field of savings and loan regulation, but he knew even more about horses.

Mr. Muldoon, 76, was a lawyer who helped his clients sort out the regulatory mess resulting from the 1980s savings and loan debacle. Two years ago, he came out of retirement to help alert Congress and the media to the potential takeover of operations at 22 U.S. ports by a company from the United Arab Emirates. The resulting uproar forced congressional reassessment of security rules and policies governing international corporate takeovers.

For all his achievements in law and finance, however, Mr. Muldoon was perhaps better known as one of the Washington area's leading horsemen.

"Horses were the love of his life," said his law partner, George W. Murphy Jr. "They were the only thing that diverted him from his practice."

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...


TOPICS: Editorial; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: dubaiports; muldoon; nationalsecurity; wot
In 2006, a year after officially retiring from his practice, Mr. Muldoon had one of his greatest legal triumphs. He and his son Joseph A. Muldoon III were representing a Florida-based port terminal operator when they learned that Dubai Ports World, a company owned by the government of the United Arab Emirates, had received a secret national security review and was about to take over the operation of 22 U.S. ports.

Mr. Muldoon and his son knocked on doors on Capitol Hill, taking on big-name lobbyists and the White House. They persuaded senators and congressmen of both parties that national security could be compromised by allowing an Arab-owned company to run U.S. ports during the war on terrorism. In the end, the political fallout over the deal prompted Congress to tighten laws governing international corporate takeovers, and Dubai Ports World sold its interest in the ports to a U.S. firm.

1 posted on 03/24/2008 11:45:46 AM PDT by khnyny
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To: khnyny

And that U.S. firm’s biggest campaign contributor?

IIRC, Chuckie Schumer.


2 posted on 03/24/2008 11:56:13 AM PDT by BrewingFrog (I brew, therefore I am!)
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To: BrewingFrog

I think you’ll have to elaborate a little more on your obscure post...


3 posted on 03/24/2008 11:57:28 AM PDT by khnyny (Hillary is the national equivalent of Tracy Flick)
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To: khnyny
Two years ago, he came out of retirement to help alert Congress and the media to the potential takeover of operations at 22 U.S. ports by a company from the United Arab Emirates.

I wonder what George Bush called him.

4 posted on 03/24/2008 12:04:44 PM PDT by mikeus_maximus (Universal constants: n+0 = n; m*c^2 = e; mullet + jean shorts = Univ. of Florida Gators fan)
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To: khnyny

By all means.

From the story you excerpted:

“In the end, the political fallout over the deal prompted Congress to tighten laws governing international corporate takeovers, and Dubai Ports World sold its interest in the ports to a U.S. firm.”

Again, if I remember correctly, the U.S. firm referred to in the sentence above was a heavy contributor to Chuckie. The Senator came through by being even more energetic than usual in jumping in front of news cameras and getting face time on all the usual shouting shows. He led the charge in getting the Dubai contract nullified.

I would say their contributions were well spent.


5 posted on 03/24/2008 12:05:38 PM PDT by BrewingFrog (I brew, therefore I am!)
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To: mikeus_maximus
I wonder what George Bush called him.

I respect President Bush, but imho, he was wrong on the Dubai ports deal just like he's wrong on illegal immigration and the lack of security on our nation's borders.
6 posted on 03/24/2008 12:16:34 PM PDT by khnyny (Hillary is the national equivalent of Tracy Flick)
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To: khnyny
The resulting uproar forced congressional reassessment of security rules and policies governing international corporate takeovers

Let's fix that:

The resulting uproar prevented the assignment of U.S. intelligence agents in critical Dubai Ports facilites overseas, leaving American ports vulnerable to terrorist attacks

At least it's accurate, now.

7 posted on 03/24/2008 12:20:06 PM PDT by TonyInOhio (Dedicated to the preservation of American Exceptionalism.)
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To: BrewingFrog

Republicans Frist and Peter King were very vocal in their opposition also, along with many others.


8 posted on 03/24/2008 12:26:00 PM PDT by khnyny (Hillary is the national equivalent of Tracy Flick)
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To: TonyInOhio

Do you have a link or any other way to corroborate what you claim?


9 posted on 03/24/2008 12:27:52 PM PDT by khnyny (Hillary is the national equivalent of Tracy Flick)
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To: khnyny

10 posted on 03/24/2008 12:47:15 PM PDT by maine-iac7 (",,,but you can't fool all of the people all the time" LINCOLN)
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To: khnyny
Do you have a link or any other way to corroborate what you claim?

Sure, here's a quote from Bill Gertz in the Washington Times:

Former Inside the Ring co-author Rowan Scarborough has written a new book revealing a key reason the Bush administration pressed hard for the 2006 deal for the United Arab Emirates-based Dubai Ports World to take over management of several U.S. ports.

According to Mr. Scarborough, the administration wanted the deal to go through because the UAE government had agreed to let the United States post agents inside its global port network who could report on world shipping.

Dubai Ports currently runs port facilities at key U.S. intelligence targets, including Venezuela, China, Pakistan, India and Saudi Arabia.

"Dubai Ports, in essence, was going to become an agent of CIA," Mr. Scarborough said in an interview. "The arrangement is helping us detect whether any kind of terror contraband was being moved around."

Here's a direct link: Inside the Ring

11 posted on 03/24/2008 1:11:28 PM PDT by TonyInOhio (Dedicated to the preservation of American Exceptionalism.)
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To: TonyInOhio

Oh, alrighty then.

Don’t worry, somehow (imho) I don’t think it interfered with the plan.


12 posted on 03/24/2008 1:17:48 PM PDT by khnyny (Hillary is the national equivalent of Tracy Flick)
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To: khnyny

RIP.


13 posted on 03/24/2008 2:05:34 PM PDT by fieldmarshaldj (~~~***Just say NO to the "O"***~~~)
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