Lawmakers Vow Not to Force Quick Port Vote

[Eugene]

Lawmakers Vow Not to Force Quick Port Vote


Wednesday March 1, 2006 4:01 AM

AP Photo DCSA111

By LIZ SIDOTI

Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) - Congressional Republicans and Democrats on Tuesday tempered calls for an
immediate vote to block a Dubai-based company's takeover of some U.S. port operations as
President Bush prodded them to avoid a confrontation.

Returning to the Capitol in force for the first time since news of DP World's takeover broke,
lawmakers from both parties criticized the White House for failing to let them know about
the deal before it became public.

But many also said steps taken over the weekend by the White House and the United Arab Emirates
company for a 45-day investigation of the transaction's security issues reassured them and negated
the need for legislation for now.

"We should allow that to proceed," said Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, chairwoman of the Senate
Homeland Security Committee.

<snip>

Full article: http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-5654724,00.html

[Geoff R. Casavant]

1. Flip.

Flop.

[BenDavid]

2. Do I have it wrong or

come this Thursday the British company will sale their controlling interest to the UAE? Am I right or wrong?

[rodeodance]

3. Reid: Let's have a real investigation and a vote here in the Senate,''

.....Democrats accused the president of prematurely determining the outcome of an investigation that the administration should have done in the first place.

``Let's have a real investigation and a vote here in the Senate,'' said Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev. ``What the president has agreed to is no review.''

``If the investigation proves to be a charade, if it's not truly independent and thorough, then the bipartisan legislation that we introduced yesterday will pass through the Senate and the House like a hot knife through butter,'' Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., said.

Lawmakers said the political uproar could have been avoided if the White House had kept lawmakers in the loop on the DP World deal.