Hysteria over UAE port deal continues
By all accounts, this story is leading the pack in the blogosphere in terms of discussion (see Memeorandum for more). Quite frankly, yours truly is beyond rehashing it at this point because some of what I have to say isn’t really fit for print.
Two posts on the poll-driven GOP move to take a vote on the port deal that caught my attention today: AJ Strata’s post on GOP “mob think” and Flopping Aces’ post criticizing the shameless political opportunism coming from the GOP-led Congress.
The hype surrounding this deal and lack of real honest discussions about it coming out of Congress have made me reconsider whether or not I even still want to be a part of the Republican party. I can’t recall in modern history a more shameless pandering to a constituency based on emotional arguments than this one on our side of the aisle. Don’t be surprised if one day I blog about how I decided to change my party affiliation to “Independent.” Like many other Republicans, I’ve put up with a lot of things I’d rather not have (like runaway spending, for example) out of the current crop of Republicans in Congress but honestly I’m almost to the point where I’ve had enough.
Update I: Jonathan R. at GOP Bloggers is on the same wavelength.
Update II: House and Senate GOP leaders have informed the President that the UAE ports deal is doomed.
Update III: CNN breaking news at the top of their page: Dubai-owned company has decided to transfer fully the U.S. operation of P&O ports in North America to a U.S. entity, according to Sen. John Warner.
I’ll post a direct link as soon as it becomes available.
Update 4: Here is the direct link:
WASHINGTON (CNN) — A United Arab Emirates-owned company has agreed to turn over all of its operations at U.S. ports to an American entity, Sen. John Warner said Thursday.
Reading a statement from DP World on the Senate floor, Warner, a Virginia Republican, said the reason is “to preserve” the strong relationship between the UAE and United States.
The announcement comes after congressional leaders reportedly told President Bush that the deal for DP World to assume some operations at six U.S. ports appeared dead on Capitol Hill.
House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Illinois, and Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tennessee, delivered the news to Bush during a meeting Thursday at the White House, two Republican sources said.
Here’s Fox’s reporting on the story:
WASHINGTON — After Republican congressional leaders warned President Bush that both the House and Senate both appear ready to block Dubai Ports World from taking over operations at several U.S. ports, the company announced Thursday that it would give up its management stake in the deal.
The announcement was a blow for Democrats, who were pushing for a Senate vote on an amendment that would halt the deal. If they succeeded in that vote, Democrats could then claim a big election year win in the area of national security — an area Republicans generally have a stronger track record on.
Sen. John Warner, R-Va., read a statement from DP World executives on the Senate floor Thursday, announcing the concession.
“Because of the strong relationship between the United Arab Emirates and the United States and to preserve that relationship, DP World has decided to transfer fully the U.S. operation of P&O Operations North America to a United States entity,” DP World’s chief operating officer, Edward H. Bilkey, said in the statement.
With the latest DP World news, many members of Congress who thus far have been critical of the deal may be much more positive toward it.
Here’s the WaPo link.
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