I think the Dubai Port deal and the open borders hurt us a lot, though. W was riding high, and everyone was giving him the benefit of the doubt on the WOT until he started the open borders thing. Now, I don't think most people have a problem with increasing the number of work visas from Mexico, or making legal immigration easier. However, protecting the borders against illegal immigration didn't even require any new laws. Just enforce the existing ones while working on an immigration policy. It did NOT have to become a crisis situation. From the time W started pushing the open borders his popularity dropped like a rock (this was before the 2004 election). I think a lot of people started rightly asking, "Why is my son (daughter) in Iraq, when our southern border is wide open and we have NO IDEA who's coming across?" It undercut his entire argument. The Dubai Ports deal may have been a good business move, but it had to be the dumbest political move of the last thirty years. In the middle of the WOT, we were talking about selling management contracts to an Islamic country on the southern border of Iraq. Whatever credibility W had on the WOT died with that move.
There were dozens of other things that came together, but I think these had a collective effect in seriously damaging the biggest area of Republican advantage.
Please note, I am not saying the Republicans losing was a good thing. I voted R. I am saying these issues hurt us.
"The Dubai Ports deal may have been a good business move, but it had to be the dumbest political move of the last thirty years. In the middle of the WOT, we were talking about selling management contracts to an Islamic country on the southern border of Iraq. Whatever credibility W had on the WOT died with that move."
Never mind that Saudi Arabia has similarly "managed" 9 US port facilities since 1979:
Saudi Shipping Company “Controls” 9 US Ports | Sweetness & Light
http://www.sweetness-light.com/archive/meet-the-national-shipping-company-of-saudi-arabia
You (and too many others) were spun by the DNC media and you didn't even know it.
LOL