Every Inlet an Outlet for Anger Over Ports

[RamboLiberal]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/28/AR2006022801433.html

Is there no safe harbor from the Dubai port imbroglio?

Wherever they went yesterday, and whatever they spoke about, Bush administration officials could find no shelter. The controversy intruded on President Bush when he tried talk about NATO and Afghanistan with the Italian prime minister. It stalked Director of National Intelligence John D. Negroponte at the Senate Armed Services Committee, followed Homeland s Security Secretary Michael Chertoff to the Senate Appropriations Committee, and harassed Chertoff deputy Michael P. Jackson at the Senate Commerce Committee.

Even the U.S.S. Ken Mehlman, an agile vessel, could not successfully navigate the port deal's shoals. Appearing before the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, the Republican National Committee chairman tucked a one-sentence, indirect reference to the fuss nearly 20 minutes into his speech --"We have a military presence in the United Arab Emirates that is vital to stability" -- then left before he could be questioned about the deal.

Mehlman's Democratic counterpart, Howard Dean, wasn't about to let Mehlman off the hook with that. Next on the JCPA stage, Dean reordered his speech, which usually starts with a jeremiad about Republican corruption. "I want first to speak about defense," Dean said, pivoting to the ports.

"Today we see the specter, as reported in the Jerusalem Post, of a company who is about to take over American ports, which actively continues today to boycott Israel," the Democratic National Committee chairman declared. "Foreign governments of any kind ought not to be controlling American ports, especially when the Coast Guard already recommended that they could not guarantee the security of the ports."

[gordianot]

1. Just how did they think they could hide this? Stupidity supreme.

Obviously someone close hates them in releasing the facts.

[tularetom]

2. This seems like such a no brainer

Even without the UAE controlling our ports experts have concluded that port security is very porous. So an incident could occur at any time. But with the Dubai Port Wrld deal laying there like a big stinky turd, if something does happen, everybody in the world is gonna remember how far * stuck out his scrawny neck to get this thing through. He will then be remembered as the president who fucked up Iraq, bankrupted the country AND hired the guys who let terrorists blow up a major American port.

Unless he KNOWS nothing is going to happen:tinfoilhat: