US House Speaker asks moratorium on Dubai port deal

[sabra]

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/WBT004835.htm

US House Speaker asks moratorium on Dubai port deal

WASHINGTON, Feb 21 (Reuters) - U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Dennis Hastert wrote to President Bush on Tuesday asking for a moratorium on an Arab company's takeover of operations at six major U.S. seaports.

"I believe there should be an immediate moratorium placed on this seaport deal in order to further examine its effects on our port security," Hastert said in the letter, a copy of which was released to the media.

The Illinois Republican also asked the Bush administration to conduct a "more thorough review" of the deal allowing state-controlled Dubai Ports World of the United Arab Emirates to manage the ports. Hastert warned further that it "may require additional congressional action" to make sure Americans are protected.

:wtf:

[stepnw1f]

1. Fuck You GOP!

You fuckin traitors... time to tar and feather folks...

[merwin]

2. Isn't this a good thing?

There's a lot of Republicans not very happy about this deal as well.

[sabra]

3. something is going down, no doubt...

you've got Frist and Hastert opposing the deal, and simultaneously * playing mr. tough guy.... It stinks!

[mom cat]

17. All will be revealed in the signing statement.

This "oposition" from Frist and Hasstart reminds me of mcCain's "opposition" to torture.Although it looked for a while as if there was real dissent, Bush warped the bill into a justification of his powers.

[stepnw1f]

4. Is It? Whenever I saee these Pukes Grandstanding

I believe it's a PR act to keep the media and people off balance.

[radfringe]

5. moratorium just gives

bush* more time to spin

consider the record:

bush lied about WMDs
bush lied about prescription drugs
bush lied about energy meetings
bush lied about NOT spying without warrants
bush lied about No Child left behind
bush lied about clear skies
bush lied about "breaking the oil habit"
bush lied about being a compassionate conservative
bush lied about tax cuts
bush wouldn't know the truth if it bit him in the A$$

and now we're suppose to trust him on this deal because we are at war? For *%$#!X sake - if we are at freaking war we should be a brazzilion percent sure who the hell is providing security

[Pacifist Patriot]

10. That was exactly my concern about a moratorium!

[Earth_First]

6. Frist AND Hastert

Is it possible that perhaps this is an issue that we all agree emphatically agree on?

I made a comment on the Frist opposition that it was very possile it was merely window dressing. Is Hastert walking like a duck? Or is the Republican Leadership going to question the status quo in a bipartisan effort?

We all know how the last several Congressional "inquiries" went. They were all stacked.

[Earth_First]

7. Looks like Ridge is on board, too:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=2120431&mesg_id=2120431

[oscarguy]

12. Right on. Something big happened within the GOP Re: BUSHCO

[aquart]

8. LMAO. This is hysterical.

No foreign control of US ports. Not China, not Britain, not Dubai. This is OUR job.

[Pacifist Patriot]

9. I hope congress does pass something Bush vetoes....

and then congress overrides his veto. Let's show the pissant how much power he really has. Me thinks he's in dire need of a humbling.

[oscarguy]

11. It Looks Like Event the Republicans are not going to stand for this..

one. THAT IS PRETTY STRONG STUFF COMING FROM A LEADERSHIP REPUBLICAN. Perhaps there is some hope for us all. IT IS ABOUT TIME. This is a big turning point. The non-administration Republicans are saying no to Bush and Co..They had to have talked it over and decided the BUSHCO crew has gone too far. ...Oscar

[Akoto]

13. They're doing this because ...

Letting it go through would be an absolute disaster, not simply for the current administration, but for the future of the Republican party. Can you imagine the ammunition such a sale would offer to the Democratic party in future elections? It'd be like handing us a gun with a full round. By standing with us in opposition, they're holding back a few of thise political bullets that we might've used.

[salin]

14. Bush - threatening veto - again puts his interests

over those of the reelection interests of congressional members of Congress.

Bush is a power hungry fool. Only a fool would "threaten" a veto - a power he has not yet used in five years - on this issue which fuels xenophobic fears that his administration has fueled for years.

[VirginiaDem]

15. I'm upgrading this from major political blunder to catastrophe

for Bush. He will not survive this, at least from a popularity perspective. We've all "known" that there was a floor that Bush's poll numbers couldn't fall below--maybe somewhere about 38%. There were 38% of Americans who would support Bush regardless. I now believe that he has stomped a whole in the floor--expect his approval ratings to drop.

I'll ballpark that his poll numbers drop below 35% and I'll ballpark that, barring Osama's head on a pike, they don't get above 40 again (meaning an average of 40 among all the polls).

We are watching political suicide; he's too stupid to figure it out and he's stubborn to change when his "brain" tries to tell him.

[bobbieinok]

16. bushco save---war/bombing Iran??????