This is an outrage. What the h#ll are they thinking in the White House?
The WH is wrong on this one. We will not hold still for it.
Definitely another "Harriet Miers" moment.
Bush administration sometimes takes 2 steps forward and 3 backward. This is just stupid and damn right people should be ticked off.
/sarc
This is very weird. Secy of State Rice has been out giving conciliatory messages all week to various Arab and Muslim groups and their supporters (such as the Zapatero gov in Spain) and now we have the WH blandly assuring us that having what are essentially our enemies running our ports is no biggie. I guess we might as well all go out and get our burkas fitted now.
Seriously, I suspect that I am overreacting and reading too much into what were probably routine remarks by Rice and didn't mean much of anything, but on the other hand, I think a bit of overreaction may be warranted for this port deal.
I know the Administration wants to act as if Muslim nations are just like any others, and just want economic advantage and have to be treated like any others - but the problem is that they are not, and many of them are in fact our sworn enemies or have large elements in them that are our sworn enemies. Ignoring this fact won't change it.
This is what happens when you turn the decision over to a bunch of lawyers who parse words in a few thousand laws and regulations and then come back and say, "we see no legal issues anywhere". They need to get someone with the gonads (sorry, Condi) to say Bullsh*t! on this!!
Is there a gigantic bribe in this somewhere? Not to the WH but elsewhere?
There are some serious security issues at stake here - the administration really needs to rethink this one.
"Foreign control of our ports, which are vital to homeland security, is a risky proposition," said Sen. Charles Schumer, New York Democrat.
This is a crazy world when I wake up one morning agreeing with Chuckie Shumer on anything.
THIS IS THE MOST ASSININE DECISION TO COME OUT OF THE WHITE HOUSE IN A LONG TIME. BUSH MUST BE ASLEEP AT THE WHEEL. E-MAIL THE PRESIDENT, SENATORS & CONGRESSMEN AND URGE THAT THIS BE STOPPED!!
And I agree with Schumer and the NYT also, that's a rarity. (I already agree with Coburn a lot, so that's normal)
This lunacy needs to be stopped in its tracks. I can't think of a better way for Al Queda to get into this country than by infiltrating this port business! And the UAE recognizes the Taliban to this very day! Someone at the White House must be smoking dope to have thought this was a good idea. Call, write, and email your senators to stop this stupid, dangerous deal.
The notion that the UAE firm is paying $6.8 billion to acquire six major U.S. ports probably comes as a huge surprise to those agencies that currently own and operate these ports and have no intention of selling them.
This is the kind of idiotic ranting that I would expect to find in a Paul Krugman column or a Howard Dean speech.
All the various National security agencies have given this company a clean bill of health. This company MERELY does port operations, it has ZERO security functions. Security is a Federal Govt responsibility. The ONLY people freaking are the Democrat Senators. This works for them on two levels.
ONE it allows the Dems to fraudulently posture as "tough on National Security". Two, it allows the Senate Democrats to lay the ground work for a "Have the Feds take over the ports" like they did the baggage screener at the airport and add thousands to the Govt Union rolls.
Just DUMB for Conservatives to push Chucky Schumers phony PR line for him.
^
Guaranteed that there's a lobbyist and or US firm tied to this.
I'm curious to see if the donks are going to do any of the heavy lifting on this one particularly when it comes to the "jobs" issue. More likely, they'll just be happy to demagogue it.
Schumer is already on board, so he and I agree on 1 thing, but even if he wasn't, I wouldn't waste the email. Clinton, I won't waste it, and my congresscritter is such a socialist, he's also a waste of time.....