Posted on 02/21/2006 12:56:16 PM PST by Jeremiah2911
WASHINGTON — In a rare display of his veto authority President Bush said Tuesday he will put the kibosh on any legislation that attempts to stop the purchase by a United Arab Emirates-owned firm of the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Co., which runs six major U.S. ports.
Breaking a gaping silence during the debate of the purchase by Dubai Ports World, Bush said the deal should go forward and won't jeopardize U.S. security.
Officials from the Cabinet departments that participate in the U.S. Committee on Foreign Investments in the United States, which approved the sale last Monday, are appearing in a briefing Tuesday afternoon to defend the process by which CFIUS reviewed and approved the deal.
Officials from the Treasury, Coast Guard, Customs and Border Protection and Homeland Security will participate.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
Gosh, sarcasm here on FRee Republic?
Who would have thunk it?
I agree that perception is everything. However, the nice thing about being on the right is that we think and decide on the facts. If Bush decided to disrupt the deal just because of perception for political purposes when the facts show he should stay out of it, than he is no better than a Dem. Many decisions are made that are viewed as bad by the press and liberals because on the face they look "evil" or "unfeeling" or against "civil rights," when the reality is they were sound decisions based on true principles. I say make the right decision based on the facts and let the chips fall.
I hope conservatives don't start basing their opinion of a decision based on perception.
Sorry Bushie, you have no control over this. Sit down and shut up.
The best I've heard is "there was a 9/11 hijacker from the UAE." Wow. What convincing evidence.
Now look, I'm as patriotic, as vigilante on defense and as strong an advocate of defending the country as we can. I think profiling passengers at airports (much like El Al does) is a great idea. I fully support the war in Iraq and I wish we'd whack Syria and Iran while we're at it. Then move on to North Korea. Any check of my posting history will prove it.
The brouhaha over the Dubai Ports deal is overblown in a big way. For goodness sake, they're buying out a BRITISH company and will be the profiteers over an already-thriving business. They're not firing every American worker on the docks and replacing them with turban-laden Talibanists!
Dubai has been operating ports in Western countries for years--and no one has ever brought forth any evidence the company is a terrorist front. Hell, what if the Dubai company relocated its HQ in Boston?? Would that make anyone feel better? They're capitalists trying to make a buck. I think they're a prime example of what the Middle East can become economically.
I know I might be in the minority here, but that's okay. I've yet to hear any credible evidence Dubai is evil; all I've heard is that they're from the middle east, therefore they're bad. Doesn't make sense to me.
Now, honestly, if anyone can show me evidence Dubai Ports Systems--or whatever the company's name is--is suspect, I'm willing to listen.
It would cover such a deal if A)such a provision was in the orginal lease. And Congress can control who does business on our ports.
Guess the war is over. Ya-hoo!
Not to mention that this little shibboleth (that terminal operators have no role in security) is patently false. I'm not sure who started spreading this ridiculous story, but it's a pretty brazen misrepresentation.
I think that the newbie might be just trolling, but we'll see what happens.
From the article:
Rep. Edward Markey, D-Mass., a longtime advocate of cargo screening, said the Bush administration's decision to accept the deal is evidence of its disregard for port security. Markey argued that DP World would be responsible for performing "significant security functions," including placing security officers at the facility, providing for security training for facility personnel and determining access to the facility.Yeah, yeah, I know, he's a Democrat, I know the drill. But if he was lying outright, somebody would be calling him on it. All I'm interested in knowing is if anybody has any factual information (like, with references) that explicitly contradicts this."Almost none of the cargo that enters our ports is ever inspected. While the federal government is ultimately responsible for security at ports, much of the day-to-day security responsibilities, such as hiring security guards and ensuring adequate access controls and fencing are in place, are delegated to the companies that operate at the port," Markey said.
I'm guessing it's for personal reasons. Perhaps there is a connection with his dad or a friend in putting the deal together. Or he might be demonstrating his loyalty to one of the parties to the deal. He might be trying to show the Arab world how tolerant he is.
I could understand him sticking by his deal, but not pulling out his only veto to date for it.
I just wonder if the other republicans in Congress are interested in a political future?
And the owners will just stay in Abu Dhabi. They'll never come around to inspect their holdings, and they will never bring in their own "efficiency experts." Right!
ML/NJ
Exactly, is anyone doubts him, just look at the way he stopped the mass flooding of illegals across our southern border.
Fact: UAE doesn't recognize Israel's right to exist
Fact: UAE still recognizes the Taliban as the legitimate government of Afghanistan.
Fact: UAE recently moved to strengthen trade ties with Iran.
Am I grown up enough now?
We were sitting fat, dumb, and lazy on September 11th and we're getting that way again. The 911 Hijackers passed into and out of this country on numerous occasions and had money wired to themselves to live on until they were ready to strike and almost no one was paying any attention to them whatsoever (until September 11, 2001).
This time we could end up with a smoking hole in the ground that is 3 or 4 miles in diameter (instead of 12 or 15 square blocks) with radioactive debris for another 4 or 5 miles in every direction beyond that. I will not back down on this one, I don't think I'm wrong on it, and I don't think I'm alone (or unduly concerned) either!
"Guess the war is over. Ya-hoo!"
LOL
This is a worse call than Harriet Miers. Let's have hearings on the port issue. I don't know what Bush is up to, but it's time to find out.
Port Security is being handled by a US company (period). Two of the twelve highjackers were originally from the UAE. By discounting the entire UAE as being untrustworthy is bad diplomacy. This deal was announded in November and not a peep from either side. This is politics pure and simple, a way for politicians from both sides to scream their outrage.
Maybe Bush is getting a cut in on this?
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