Ports of Call

[mwfanelli]

Living here near Baltimore, the selling of shipping ports to a terrorist nation is causing quite a controversy that has Republicans and Democrats uniting in a way I've never seen before.

While the Bush administration gloriously supports spying on American citizens and spending 8 billion dollars a month in Iraq in the name of defating terrorism, he gleefully turns around and hands over many of our critical ports. This Muslim country was second in the world to support the Taliban, has been a long time financial supporter of terrorism, funnelled money for the 9/11 hijackers, and has stood up to declare that Israel must be destroyed. This transport company is state owned, not a private concern.

I have said before that Bush is the dumbest president we have ever had. I just wish he'd stop proving it over and over again.

Comments? Live near a port and getting scared??

mike

[JSPhoto]

Mike,
Although I do not live near a port any longer it still concerns me that this idiot of a President would be that dumb. But maybe there is more to it.
I got a chance yesterday to speak to two bigtime Republicans about this very subject. Both said the same thing 1: they are no longer supporters of Bush and are both afraid of him. 2: Both feel Bush is trying to take over the government and become a dictator with the assistance of certain high level Republicans including Cheney.
When I suggested they impeach him they said it was too late.

One stated that hurricane Katrina played into Bush's hand, and the lack of support for the people in the south was not by accident and the former FEMA leader was simply the fall guy for the President. This, along with the war on terrorism has weakend the country enough for a move like this.
Maybe Bush isn't as dumb as we think, maybe it's an act to keep us off guard while he takes over the country

[walterick]

Bush was "unaware of the pending sale of shipping operations at six major U.S. seaports to a state-owned business in the United Arab Emirates until the deal already had been approved by his administration." Both Dems and Republicans are up in arms over this and bipartisan emergency legislation is being enacted. Which Bush has already vowed to veto.

http://www.newsday.com/news/nationwo...news-headlines

Is 8 years over yet?

[srobb]

Cannot say I know everything about UAE which I will try to find out more, but one things very curious to me. If they are all they are laid out to be, does not seem curious that the leaders of that country would be allowed to own land here, come into this country with no problem and carry on their business? Guess just playing devil's advocate since the family in power are the owner's of three large horse farms around Lexington and thereby the employers of my nephew.

[walterick]

In listening to NPR today I learned that security advisers see no real increased threat by this company being owned by a UAE country. John McCain among others have sided with the sale here. Still, I don't feel like this has been completely investigated.

[walterick]

Bush agrees to delay. Sue Myrick (R, North Carolina) said in a letter to Bush, "“Dear Mr. President: In regards to selling American ports to the United Arab Emirates, not just NO - but HELL NO!”

Heheh.

http://www.isn.ethz.ch/news/sw/details.cfm?id=14882

The real question is, how much longer are Republicans going to stand behind Bush? His party has split on almost every major politcal issue since Bush's original Supreme Court nomination. If the Democrats had any balls, they would be driving a stake down the fissure that is dividing the Republican party right now.

All IMO of course

[walterick]

I haven't been following this story for a few weeks. I just caught this story on Google:

http://www.voanews.com/english/2006-03-10-voa38.cfm

Apparently congress's bipartisan stink was enough to stall the sale and have it go to an American company. Bush is "concerned" about what this does to our diplomatic ties in the middle east (because his unprovoked invasion of Iraq was such a good rapport builder)

Again I ask, how long until the 'pubs split off from their leader?

[greghalliday]

I have also heard a rumor. Dubai has agreed to sell their rights to.......Halliburton.

If that's true, holy cow.

[walterick]

We were wondering what stake Bush had in letting this Dubai deal go through. It turns out the UAE is a major purchaser of Boeing airplanes:

"Last year Emirates Airlines of Dubai ordered 42 long-range 777 wide-body jets, worth $9.7 billion."

"Boeing said its orders aren't threatened. "Nothing has been done or said since the ports controversy erupted that would indicate to us that our relationships with customers in the UAE have been damaged," said Boeing spokesman Tim Neale."

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/htm...4_dubai11.html

I hadn't heard that about Halliburton. Hey, they get Katrina cleanup contracts and Iraq contracts. Why not throw in every other hot button scandle?