Rice to soothe ports row on UAE visit

[Rose Siding]

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice hailed the United Arab Emirates as a key ally on Thursday as she tried to soften U.S. lawmakers' opposition to a deal that would let a firm from the Gulf state manage some American ports.

Speaking to reporters hours before she was due in the UAE capital Abu Dhabi, Rice said the U.S. administration had spent three months vetting the deal, dismissing concerns by several Congress members that it could be a threat to national security.
...
"We have a really strong ally in the UAE. Our naval activity with the UAE is probably more active and more intensive than any place else in the region."
...
.....Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, chairman of state-owned DP World, hailed the support of President George W. Bush, who has threatened to veto any attempts to block the deal.

"We are very encouraged by what Mr. Bush has said. We are happy that he takes this view," he told Reuters in Dubai.

"Of course we are confident it will go ahead. There's no question about it. We would not have all raised all this money and done so much work if it was not going to."

http://go.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=politicsNews&storyID=11316709&src=rss/ElectionCoverage

[Fridays Child]

1. Hey, Condi, while you're there, be sure to take in a camel race.

I hear those enslaved five-year olds can really make the camels move.

:nuke:

[muriel_volestrangler]

8. Since jockeys aged under 16 are now illegal there

I think it's unlikely she'll be watching illegal camel races.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4430851.stm

[aquart]

2. Just make sure there are lots of pictures.

[CottonBear]

3. What money is she talking about having raised?

Apparently, the UAE ports deal is a done deal according to Kindofsleazy Rice.

[Rose Siding]

4. That's the Sultan, the newest GOP base, who speaks of money for the deal

[CottonBear]

6. I see. Thanks. n/t

[wordpix]

12. right, BushCo's base are ME sultans---becoming very obvious, transparent

[wordpix]

11. sultan said money was raised--I wonder how much $ Carlyle Grp/Poppy inves

ted? Floow the money trail.

[Warren Stupidity]

5. I'll bet that sulpherous viper is real good at 'smoothing'.

She's been all over the ME smoothing things out. That situation in palestine is all smoothed out, Iraq is real smooth, egypt is smoothing along, lebanon is a whole bucket of smooth, and Iran is a big shiite smoothie. Perhaps Ms. Nasty can plop over to pakistan and afghanistan and give them some of that smooth too.

[Fridays Child]

9. Much in the same way that muriatic acid dissolves hard water stains.

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

7. "Something in the way she soothes..."

:evilgrin:



:scared:

[hatrack]

10. Look at how well her soothing words are woking in Iraq today!

Same for President Weakenstupid.

:eyes:

[arikara]

13. B*** said that he didn't know about the deal

but "Rice said the U.S. administration had spent three months vetting the deal"

B*** also said that he would veto any bill to stop the deal. He says he didn't know about it but somehow its important enough to him to veto for the first time.

[tanyev]

14. I think tapioca is a lot more soothing than Rice.

Give it up, Condi.