On the so-called "Port Scandal", here are some facts:1. We didn't sell anything to Dubai - the British did. A further clarification the British OWN what they are selling - TERMINALS. Not PORTS - TERMINALS, and of those TERMINALS we are talking about OPERATION not CONTROL.
The fact is that the British (who again have the right to sell their business to whomever they desire), could have sold it to any company. But they sold it to the company who has a proven track record of success and who has shown in the past far more concern for security than some of these now barking politicians and bloggers. (More facts here).
James A. Glassman over at TCS writes:
"Just last week, the shareholders of P&O, that venerable relic of the British Empire, agreed to sell their company to a group called Dubai Ports World, for $6.8 billion. DP World won a bidding war with another company from a developing country, Temasek Holdings of Singapore.
Pacific & Oriental Steam Navigation was created in the 1830s and, by 1868, had the largest steamship fleet in the world. But the days of Kipling and Maugham (who, by the way, wrote a wonderful short story called "P&O") are over. Today, four-fifths of P&O's revenues come not from ships but from ports.
The irony is that, while the British understand that empire has given way to globalization, many Americans -- especially protectionist politicians like Sens. Charles Schumer (D-NY) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and xenophobic TV hosts like Lou Dobbs -- do not.
DP World is a firm based in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, next to Saudi Arabia and just across the Persian Gulf from Iran. It is a company that knows this business well, currently running what The Guardian, the British newspaper, calls "one of the most efficient port organizations in the world," including deepwater facilities in Turkey, Hong Kong, three ports in mainland China, Australia, Germany, the Dominician Republic, Venezuela and South Korea. "Its port operations are breathtakingly fast and efficient." Meanwhile, Dubai itself is building a freeport hub, "so vast that approaching a fifth of the world's cranes are now to be found at work there."
And Dubai -- I don't have to tell you -- is an Arab nation. Yes, two of the 9/11 hijackers were citizens of the UAE, but, then again, as Ivan Eland of the Independent Institute notes, Richard Reid, the attempted "shoe bomber," was a British citizen, and Jose Padilla, among others, is an American citizen (as was Timothy McVeigh). The UAE has been a staunch ally in the war on terror, training security forces in Iraq and helping to cut off the flow of money to al Qaeda."
DP World isn't a terrorist organization. Operating out of a country - even one considered by some to be a terrorist stronghold - doesn't make you a terrorist. Any more than being in a bagel shop makes you a bagel.
Agian, Glassman hit's the hypocrisy of the left and some of the far-right on this point:
"U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Customs. "Nothing changes with respect to security under the contract," said Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. "The Coast Guard is in charge of security, not the corporation."
This misinformation that has occurred over this deal is personally offensive to me because of what I do. But even more offensive is the snivelers who whether the subject was Harriot Miers, Katrina/FEMA/Kill Brown, or now with this nonsensical excursion in to "Bush is selling us up the Eurphrates!". Again, Glassman beats me to my next point:
"You can fault this administration for many of its actions, but in one area its success is immense and undeniable: George W. Bush has kept America safe. It is now close to four and a half years since 9/11 and, still, no attacks on U.S. soil. "If there was any chance this transaction would jeopardize the security of the United States," Bush said Monday, "it would not go forward." Whom do you trust on security, Schumer or Bush?"
You can't argue with success. It's amazing but everytime Bush says "trust me", the same group of snivelers - snivel! From the left I expect it. From the right it's enough to make me hurl. Fact is they just don't trust the guy they voted for, which means either they vote just to pull a handle, or they just didn't like the other guy (or both).
Either way, they make me ill.
Again - to this date - I haven't seen ONE SHRED of evidence that this deal wasn't done with the best of intentions business and security wise, and considering the track record of Bush on Security - I'm willing to trust him on this, more than I trust the knee jerking of snivelers.
As Limbaugh said today, "I haven't yet heard anybody who's against this deal make me feel comfortable joining them. I'm hearing a bunch of panic, hysteria, jingoism, racism, profiling and fear -- and I try to do as little as possible in my life out of fear."
I agree.
UPDATE: Michelle Malkin with this breaking news out of AP: (again with misinformation).
"A United Arab Emirates company offered Thursday to delay part of its $6.8 billion takeover of most operations at six U.S. ports to give the Bush administration more time to convince skeptical lawmakers the deal poses no security risks. (there are none....sheesh - see above).
The surprise announcement relieves some pressure from a standoff between President Bush and the Republican-controlled Congress, which has threatened to block the deal because of the UAE's purported ties to terrorism.
Under the offer coordinated with the White House, Dubai Ports World said it will agree not to exercise control or influence the management over U.S. ports pending further talks with the Bush administration and Congress. It did not indicate how long it will wait for these discussions to take place.
The company said it will move forward with other parts of the deal affecting the rest of the world.
"It is not only unreasonable but also impractical to suggest that the closing of this entire global transaction should be delayed," Dubai Ports said in a statement.
"The reaction in the United States has occurred in no other country in the world," the company's chief operating officer, Ted Bilkey, said in a statement. "We need to understand the concerns of the people in the U.S. who are worried about this transaction and make sure that they are addressed to the benefit of all parties. Security is everybody's business."
"Ted Bilkey" now that's a "Arab" name......eh?
Here's the gist from a higher up. The deal is done, this is just a cooling period. Schumer and his union kickbacks notwithstanding.
Previous: here, here, and here
UPDATE: More of "It's not that we hate Arabs - REALLY!" here. Under this reasoning we ought to cancel any Government contracts to Oklahoma, New York, Miami, Los Angeles who all have "ties" to terrorists or terrorism. Charles Krauthammer on the other hand notes the hypocrisy of the left.
UPDATE II: More views at Real Clear Politics Blog.
UPDATE III: Rich Lowry at NRO dispells more of the rumors. Also Crazy Politico's Rantings.
UPDATE IV: Rick Moran disagrees.
UPDATE V: Officially putting Jpod over at National Review on medication watch.
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