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Ports fiasco reveals political hypocrisy, public ignorance
MercuryNews.com ^ | Mar. 16, 2006 | Victor Davis Hanson

Posted on 03/16/2006 5:02:26 AM PST by Cannoneer No. 4

In retrospect, America went collectively insane over the possibility that a company owned by Dubai's government would operate several of our ports.

Rarely has reason been so routed by pure emotion. Dubai is a Westernizing state that long ago left the eighth century and accepts the modern world of globalized commerce and finance. This member of the United Arab Emirates has -- especially after Sept. 11 -- passed on intelligence, hosted our fleet and provided a foothold in the gulf near Iraq and Iran.

For a country that is addicted to imported petroleum, hooked on cheap imported goods and eager for illegal-alien labor, and which has hundreds of military bases abroad, it is a little late to worry about dangerous foreign ganglia.

. . . the Dubai port deal shows how at odds are American perceptions and reality. For the past half-century, we have been living in a complex interconnected world of mutual reliance.

Soon we will import more food than we grow. We already burn more oil than we pump. For years we have bought more than we export, and we borrow far more than we lend. To justify these precarious dependencies, America assures foreign business leaders, investors and lenders that our markets remain open and immune to the distortions of xenophobia and provincialism.

Americans may not like that devil's bargain, but it was made long ago and, for better or worse, we are long past being an agrarian republic.

The resulting singular affluence of the American consumer derives from just these trade-offs in our autonomy -- and the trust we receive from those who loan and sell us things we cannot immediately pay for. So rejecting the Dubai port deal is not only hypocritical, but in the end dumb.

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


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Politics/Elections; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: billclinton; bobdole; borders; dpworld; dubai; mexico; openborders; ports; uae; vdh
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To: Willie Green

Good thing you weren't in charge then.


81 posted on 03/16/2006 10:22:51 AM PST by clawrence3
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To: clawrence3
Good thing you weren't in charge then.

So you prefer FDR to a true conservative?

82 posted on 03/16/2006 10:27:30 AM PST by Willie Green (Go Pat Go!!!)
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To: Willie Green

I preferred winning WWII (whether with FDR or any other liberal), period. I suspect any conservative 'acceptable" to you would have lost us that battle, we'd all be speaking German, and then this debate would be moot.


83 posted on 03/16/2006 10:31:54 AM PST by clawrence3
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To: clawrence3
I suspect any conservative 'acceptable" to you would have lost us that battle, we'd all be speaking German, and then this debate would be moot.

Well TEDDY Roosevelt would have been acceptable to me.
Do you think HE would have lost us that battle???

"Don't hit at all if you can help it;
don't hit a man if you can possibly avoid it;
but if you do hit him, put him to sleep."

~ Theodore Roosevelt, New York City, February 17, 1899

Every immigrant who comes here should be required within five years to learn English or leave the country.

-- Theodore Roosevelt, Kansas City Star (April 27, 1918).


84 posted on 03/16/2006 10:43:17 AM PST by Willie Green (Go Pat Go!!!)
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To: Willie Green
BTW: was Ike a "true conservative" or not? I noticed you skipped over that reference to Franco and went right to FDR/Stalin. I'm not sure if Cannoneer was referring to it, but perhaps you know about Ike's "Pact of Madrid" (due to Spain's strategic location in light of Cold War tensions, the United States entered into this trade and military alliance with Spain's Franco, not known at the time for democratic reforms)? This historic alliance commenced in 1953 and launched the so-called "Spanish Miracle," which eventually developed Spain from autarky into capitalism. Why people cannot at least admit that is what we are trying to do in the Middle East (or offer some better plan if they have it) is beyond me.
85 posted on 03/16/2006 10:43:41 AM PST by clawrence3
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To: Willie Green

I don't think Teddy would have refused Stalin as an ally, so no, I don't think he would have lost WWII either. You, I'm not so sure about.


86 posted on 03/16/2006 10:45:08 AM PST by clawrence3
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To: Cannoneer No. 4

Agreed, and another issue the MSM keeps running with is this was the "President's" deal. Clueless!


87 posted on 03/16/2006 10:45:29 AM PST by SouthTexas (Hillary supported! UAE defeated! Thanks guys.)
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To: Cannoneer No. 4

Are you catching all of this?


88 posted on 03/16/2006 10:46:38 AM PST by clawrence3
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To: clawrence3
Well since Stalin was such a "valuable" ally,
I suppose you wouldn't have had any problems leasing operational control of our ports to him during the war.
89 posted on 03/16/2006 11:01:29 AM PST by Willie Green (Go Pat Go!!!)
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To: Willie Green

You look pretty good to be that old.


90 posted on 03/16/2006 11:03:35 AM PST by Cannoneer No. 4 (Our enemies act on ecstatic revelations from their god. We act on the advice of lawyers.)
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To: Willie Green

91 posted on 03/16/2006 11:05:48 AM PST by Cannoneer No. 4 (Our enemies act on ecstatic revelations from their god. We act on the advice of lawyers.)
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To: Cannoneer No. 4

Thanks. It's the high-fiber diet that helps keep me regular.


92 posted on 03/16/2006 11:06:19 AM PST by Willie Green (Go Pat Go!!!)
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To: Willie Green

93 posted on 03/16/2006 11:07:01 AM PST by Cannoneer No. 4 (Our enemies act on ecstatic revelations from their god. We act on the advice of lawyers.)
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To: Willie Green

94 posted on 03/16/2006 11:08:58 AM PST by Cannoneer No. 4 (Our enemies act on ecstatic revelations from their god. We act on the advice of lawyers.)
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To: Willie Green

So much fiber it makes your eyes brown.


95 posted on 03/16/2006 11:15:03 AM PST by Cannoneer No. 4 (Our enemies act on ecstatic revelations from their god. We act on the advice of lawyers.)
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To: Willie Green

96 posted on 03/16/2006 11:16:38 AM PST by Cannoneer No. 4 (Our enemies act on ecstatic revelations from their god. We act on the advice of lawyers.)
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To: Willie Green
I thought you weren't a Buchananite.
97 posted on 03/16/2006 11:21:23 AM PST by Cannoneer No. 4 (Our enemies act on ecstatic revelations from their god. We act on the advice of lawyers.)
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To: Cannoneer No. 4
LOL! Anti-American propaganda from the marxist "Friends for Democracy" crowd...
I bet you think the Lindbergh kidnapping was a hoax as well...
You left-wing conspiracy theory kooks are all alike, ROTFLMAO!!!
98 posted on 03/16/2006 11:28:13 AM PST by Willie Green (Go Pat Go!!!)
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To: Willie Green

Charles Lindbergh speaking at an American First Rally

Medal presented by Goering to Lindhberg

Goering (right) presents Lindbergh with a sword

99 posted on 03/16/2006 11:39:32 AM PST by Cannoneer No. 4 (Our enemies act on ecstatic revelations from their god. We act on the advice of lawyers.)
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To: Willie Green
I guess that's why you're changing it's name to the "R" party...

That guess is about as good as your other stated beliefs on this page.

I call them the 'R' and 'D' party to save space and typing. Repeating 'Republican' over and over again just seemed like a waste, so I abbreviated. I'm surprised you thought of that as "revisionist doublespeak" . . . then again, you still refer to the 'control' of the ports, so maybe I shouldn't be surprised that you don't understand such things.

Now I have to describe myself as an America First! nationalist conservative.

Light on the 'conservative', obviously. Unless you can explain how it's 'conservative' for Congress to move to block a private business deal like this, in the case where there's no evidence of risk to our security.

Killing this deal was a clearly 'liberal' policy. The supporters of killing it have gone on and on here on FR about how this is just "greed" by trying to save a few bucks by "selling out to the arab muslims".

The policy was initiated by Schumer and Hilly.

"Conservative", you say? What then do you mean by that, if you supported such an expansion of govt power as this?

100 posted on 03/16/2006 11:41:18 AM PST by Dominic Harr
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