U.S. defends reaction to Dubai deal (Karen Hughes)

[NVMojo]

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates U.S. lawmakers' objections to a Dubai company's takeover of U.S. port operations amounted to a backlash from the Sept. 11 attacks, not an expression of wider anti- Arab sentiment among American politicians, the top U.S. envoy for public diplomacy said here Monday.

In a discussion with reporters, Under Secretary of State Karen Hughes said she did not believe the gathering objections represented a general Islamophobia among American lawmakers, as a Dubai newspaper's opinion article alleged Monday.

"I would hope that is not the case," Hughes said. "I hope the people of the United Arab Emirates and the government will understand that in a democracy, there is a process of debate."

Hughes defended the Bush administration's security review of the $6.8 billion purchase by the Dubai government-held Dubai Ports World of the London-based Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation.

P&O operates commercial shipping terminals in New York, New Jersey, Baltimore, New Orleans, Miami and Philadelphia.

Newspaper opinion articles in Dubai have blamed the U.S. backlash on political grandstanding ahead of this year's congressional elections and a general American sense of "Islamophobia."


more...


http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/02/20/news/dubai.php

[stray cat]

1. Outsourcing national security just doesn't seem smart

[fooj]

3. It isn't . It's that simple.

These rat bastards have just PROVEN, IMO, that they could give a tinker's damn about the security of this country. Enough said.

[htuttle]

2. This has to be confusing the hell out of the freepers

"Wha? You mean now we're not supposed to be 'Islamophobic' of the 'Islamofacists'?"

[CJCRANE]

11. Well

Neocons could try out a new talking point on the freepers, something like

"we gotta let them own the ports over here so we don't fight them over there".

:shrug:

[antonialee839]

21. Or this one. Who knows more about terrorists than terrorists?

[tabasco]

14. Freepers are fascist idiots.

They are like the nazis that still cried "heil hitler" as Berlin burned around them.

They are loyal to their party, not their nation.

[AntiFascist]

24. Right, I guess we're not supposed to be afraid as long as they are...

wealthy Islamists? :wtf:

[OKNancy]

4. Please snip

Please snip you article to four prargraphs

Thanks

Nancy

[NVMojo]

7. yikes! Thought I only posted the first few paragraphs! That site is hard

to copy! Thanks!

[Judi Lynn]

25. I've struggled with IHT, too.It's really odd trying to get four paragraphs

from those guys. You will often find you get the whole article, PLUS the paragraphs you had highlighted tacked on at the end. Whoooo! :crazy: :silly:

[MadMaddie]

5. There is no defense for this act of Treason...

They can talk and talk and spin and spin...Michael Chertoff otherwise known as a lazy Political Hack has no credibility!

<snip>
Article III of the Consitution

Section 3. Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying war against them, or in adhering to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort. No person shall be convicted of treason unless on the testimony of two witnesses to the same overt act, or on confession in open court.
<snip>


Outsouring our largest ports to a country know to support terrorism is an act Treason!! How can this not be viewed as giving aid to the enemy? Heck this is giving them a silver platter!!

[OrangeCountyDemocrat]

9. Treason Hasn't Stopped Them Before....

They'll continue committing TREASON for as long as they're in power, and continue doing so since it keeps meeting their own selfish needs.

They could give a shit less what it does to the country. They're greedy bastards, and are only concerned with their own well being.

[Gidney N Cloyd]

6. This is getting more attention than I expected. (They're nervous!)

Did they send Hatchetface Hughs to Dubai special for this or was she scheduled for a trip for a while before this came out?

[NVMojo]

8. good question!

[NoodleyAppendage]

20. That's EXACTLY why Dems need to hammer them hard RIGHT NOW.

Dems can't afford to let the Repukes get out ahead of this public relations debacle. It goes straight to the heart of the "Bush will make you safe" argument.

JB

[CJCRANE]

10. Just ask Dubai if they'd like America running their port

see how it feels.

[central scrutinizer]

12. Maybe Dubai can run the Israeli ports

think that would go over well?

[CJCRANE]

13. Of course, it's only a bit of harmless "free trade", isn't it? ;)

[dicknbush]

15. They are going tocave on this one...count on it

Rove is already trying to figure out how to get out of this one. This is a powerful talking point against the one thing the repubs seem to still have some credibilaty with the american public. National defense against terrorism. How do you defend letting a group operated by a muslim state that has ties to Terroists take control of our ports safety. Even if they are on our side how do you stop infiltration into an organisation by radicals who could take years to set up that one big BOOM! That is all you need for a major diswaster in any of these ports or all of them for that matter. The opportunities for tearing apart Bushco with this are way to easy for rove to allow this to go on to long. I guarnetee there are phone calls to the hill already asking how do we get out of this and get it off the front pages. It is percolating and will soon be boiling and if the Dems can keep on track they can really make soem headway with this one.

[dicknbush]

16. I hear Bush people are trying to get Dick out on another hunting trip...

Get Dicky pooh out there fully loaded....we need some major distraction from this UAE port takeover quick!

[dicknbush]

17. Why this ever got past the bad idea stage...

Is emblematic of what is important for this cabal..It is not about security it is about the money. Follow the money of this one and see if it doesn't end up soemwhere near the Bush crime family! Is 41 getting apay back on this one through that company he works for?

[Disturbed]

18. Secret meetings and then the announcement.

This is how the Neo Fascists operate.

Will the Neo Fascists get away with yet another treasonous act as they have been getting away with all of them thus far?

[lovuian]

19. Karen why couldn't China buy Chevron and yet Dubai can buy

our ports??? Ya gotta wonder???

[54anickel]

22. That was one of the first questions that came to my mind when this

story first broke. Second was suppose there was a foreign take over of Hellaburnin or one of Rummy's favorite mercenary vendors? We've outsourced so much of our national security to private companies. Wonder if OBL has set up a private corporation yet? B-)

[creeksneakers2]

23. Translate this into freeper

In a discussion with reporters, Under Secretary of State Karen Hughes said she did not believe the gathering objections represented a GENERAL Islamophobia among American lawmakers, as a Dubai newspaper's opinion article alleged Monday.

"I would hope that is not the case,"

Hughes is implying that some of the objections to the port deal are caused by Islamaphobia. She's also implying that she's not sure Islamaphobia isn't behind all the objections.

The freepers have been going nuts for over a week because they believe Al Gore criticized America on foreign soil. Freepers consider that akin to treason. Freepers are in an uproar over the port deal. Is Karen saying they are all Islamaphobic? Was it treasonous to say that on foreign soil? I'd like to know what the freepers think about this.

[Judi Lynn]

26. You may remember they all went berserk years ago when they learned

Bill Clinton had attended anti-VietNam War protests in England. Recently, before they lost control over Al Gore, they chewed the scenery when they learned Harry Belafonte had criticized _Bush outside the country. It was a major festival for them, raving on about yet another American condemning _Bush outside the country, and in this case, it had a double value for them, as Harry Belafonte is also a minority American. Getting to bitch about minority Americans certainly makes it something special for these guys.