NEWSWEEK: Congressional GOP Did Not Want to Explain (Port) Sale to Public

[sabra]

http://sev.prnewswire.com/magazines/20060226/NYSU01226022006-1.html

NEWSWEEK: White House Slow to Read Signs in Port Sale; Congressional GOP Did Not Want to Explain Sale to Public
Senior White House Official Conceded to Not Knowing About Port Deal, Tells Rep. Peter King to 'Go Ahead' on Going Public


NEW YORK, Feb. 26 /PRNewswire/ -- For the past two campaign cycles, Karl Rove has successfully painted Democrats as soft on national security. The Dubai sale offered them a golden opportunity for payback, report Senior White House Correspondent Richard Wolffe and White House Correspondent Holly Bailey in the current issue of Newsweek. Dubai Ports World already works closely with the U.S., shutting down its commercial traffic whenever the Navy sails in. So when it first approached the Feds about a takeover in mid-October, there were no red flags. They finished their formal review in mid-January with no public fanfare and no extended inquiry, write Wolffe and Bailey who, in the March 6 issue (on newsstands Monday, February 27), reconstruct the events of the port sale and explain how an obscure maritime takeover turned into a political shipwreck.

The GOP leadership on Capitol Hill did not want to get stuck trying to explain the sale to a public anxious after hearing how little had been done to protect U.S. ports. The White House, meanwhile, was slow to read the signs, write Wolffe and Bailey. Nobody had tracked the bidding war for the venerable British ports company called the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Co. (known as P & O). And nobody noticed an Associated Press story-on the day of Cheney's hunting incident-that aired the security concerns of a small Miami port operator called Eller. A disgruntled partner of P & O, Eller feared that an Arab government takeover could trigger a political backlash that might jeopardize its business. Its lawyers approached the Feds but were brushed aside; the security review was long complete.

Rep. Peter King, the GOP chair of the House homeland security committee, called the White House to ask about the deal a few days after the AP story. A senior official told him not to worry, but conceded he didn't know about any investigation into the Dubai company. When King said he planned to go public, the White House official just shrugged and said, "Go ahead."

When the crisis came to a head, Bush ordered his staff to contact each cabinet secretary involved in reviewing the sale to make sure that everyone stood by the decision. Reassured, Bush called reporters to his conference room aboard Air Force One, where he suggested that critics were indulging in anti- Arab prejudice and promised to veto any legislation blocking the deal. Midweek, as he stepped off the plane in Ohio, the president was greeted by Rep. Steve Chabot. The congressman pressed into the president's hand a cartoon from that morning's Cincinnati Enquirer. It showed a grinning Arab emir spreading his arms over an American port. The caption read, "Relax, Homeland Security has everything under control."

more here: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11570948/site/newsweek/

[truthisfreedom]

1. this gives me a nice morning grin.

snicker!

[wicket]

9. I'm grinning like a skunk

:7 :rofl:

[Lochloosa]

2. I believe Rove has misread this one so badly....

it just warms the heart.
:D

[Beetwasher]

14. He's a JEENYUS!!!

:evilgrin:

[terip64]

3. The last line in the article made me giggle like a school girl!

And on a Monday morning no less!

""If we voted on this thing today, it would pass like a bill honoring Rosa Parks," says one GOP leadership aide, who spoke anonymously owing to the sensitivity of the negotiations. The battle will be rejoined when Congress returns to work on Tuesday—just as Bush flies east to India and Pakistan. And with the captain off the deck, the restless crew might just mutiny."

[CJCRANE]

4. Slightly misleading:

"the security review was long complete."

AFAIK there was NO security review. That's what Levin was complaining about in the hearings - that there should've been a 45 day security review but it never happened.

[fasttense]

7. They downplay the threat of a dictatorial government running our

ports for us. As if the UAE is just another democratic government and this concern for security is just too much fluffy political rhetoric.

They don't mention the involvement of the UAE with nuclear weapons transfers and the buddy-buddy relationship between the UAE royals and Bin Laden. Forgotten in the article is that several 9/11 terrorists were from the UAE and that the UAE allowed the terrorist to run their funds through their banks. They mention that little disconcerting problem the UAE has about no banking regulations as if it were just an oversight on the part of the royals.

But they do outline the political maneuvering.

[sattahipdeep]

10. Team Bush believes it rules by Divine right

Harvey Wasserman
Are you ready to be bugged and tortured by George W. Bush?
January 19, 2006

This isn't about war: It's about dictatorship.

It’s about making power permanent by using private information
against you, and by terrifying you with torture.

Team Bush believes it rules by Divine right.
It has already re-defined "terrorist" to mean anyone who questions its power.
It will use "anti-terrorist" wiretapping as a tool against anyone who dares oppose it.

So ask yourself: if granted the power to torture, do you trust the Bush
Administration---or any regime- - to refrain from torturing its political opponents?
If granted the power to record private phone conversations, do you trust Karl Rove
to not use this material against his political opponents?

If Bush gets away with this, then it's simple: if you are too outspoken in opposing
this regime's destruction of social security, or the natural environment, or the
economy, you will sooner or later be subject to torture.

http://www.freepress.org/columns/display/7/2006/1303

[wordpix]

16. Pete King repeated this TWICE in an interview I saw--"NO REVIEW"

[seemslikeadream]

5. nobody noticed Associated Press story day of Cheney's hunting accident

[sattahipdeep]

8. Let Bin Laden stay free, says CIA man AB "Buzzy" Krongard

In a later statement, the group said it carried out the attack
``based on the instructions of our leader, Osama bin Laden'' and
identified the two slain suicide bombers as Abdullah Abdul-Aziz
al-Tweijri and Mohammed Saleh al-Gheith.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-5647770,00.html

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x1332757#1334615

Admitted criminal Mitchell J. Wade....

QUESTION: Was the State Department involved in discussions over the UAE taking over
management of six ports -- six U.S. ports?

MR. MCCORMACK: The State Department is part of an interagency process which is led
by the Department of Treasury. We did participate in it. This interagency process did a
thorough review of all aspects of this proposed sale. And the bottom line finding was that
there was no basis on -- no national security basis on which to block the sale going
forward.

http://usinfo.state.gov/xarchives/display.html?p=washfile-english&y=2006&m=February&x=20060217172404xjsnommis0.3468439&t=livefeeds/wf-latest.html

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x2131836#2131979

A report issued by the US Justice Department
has boosted the credibility of Sibel Edmonds,
the former FBI translator who claimed a foreign
intlligence agency had blocked evidence
gathered prior to the 9/11 attacks.

http://www.breakfornews.com/Sibel-Edmonds.htm





:hi:

Never Forget John O'Neil

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/knew/interviews/

[NashVegas]

39. This Was on DU February 11 (Night of Accident)

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=2102309


A couple of more over the next few days. It was when Eller (?) sued to block the sale the shit hit the fan.

[Massachusetts]

6. Captain GW Queeg Bush

"And with the captain off the deck, the restless crew might just mutiny."

[BlueIris]

11. They didn't want to explain it? No shit. Wow, who knew?

:-)

Nice article.

[Plaid Adder]

12. Well, that's more support for my theory:

They never expected anyone to care. This kind of thing is what global free-market capitalism is all about: you got the money, you can buy it, no matter where you come from or where what you're buying is located. Of course nobody thought it was going to become important, and really, we still don't know that it will, since apparently all the RW talking heads are starting to come around to it now.

C ya,

The Plaid Adder

[wordpix]

17. global free-market capitalism: cheap wages while corporate heads reap

million$, billion$

[progressoid]

18. Yep, probably because they got away with it for so long.

The ole terror ploy is backfiring on them.

[KansDem]

13. "You see? You see? Your stupid minds! Stupid! Stupid!!!"

Two Typical Republicans

Wha...What...What the...? Is our party corrupt?

Really though, how much more can there be before GOPers finally realize their party is corrupt to the core?

[Lautremont]

15. In the Plan 9 analogy, the aliens would probably be progressives,

as they've come to try and stop the arms race, I believe. They accuse the lunkhead hero of belonging to a stupid and violent race, and his response is to do something stupid and violent. That's pretty Repub-like behaviour.

But, on the other hand, the shiny suits on those aliens are pretty repub-styles.

[wordpix]

19. * reassured by "each cabinet sec" yet Rummy, Chertoff didn't know deal was

going down. Gee, something doesn't add up here.

snip:
When the crisis came to a head, Bush ordered his staff to contact each cabinet secretary involved in reviewing the sale to make sure that everyone stood by the decision. Reassured, Bush called reporters to his conference room aboard Air Force One, where he suggested that critics were indulging in anti- Arab prejudice and promised to veto any legislation blocking the deal. Midweek, as he stepped off the plane in Ohio, the president was greeted by Rep. Steve Chabot.

[Maven]

20. Of course he needed to see a cartoon

to get a sense of public opinion.

[singe]

21. Jewish question

Subject: ports
Message:
OK the Fundies now love the Jews because they need 144,000 to bring down the Rapture or some such scheme. Bush loves the Jews because Lieberman is tongue kissing him. I love the Jews having grown up among alot of them whose parents had concentration camp tattoos on their arms....soooooo....shouldn't the UAE at least agree to recognize Israel before we turn over New York Harbor to them? Last time I checked there were quite a few Jewish people in New York who are concerned about Israel's welfare and they shouldn't have to go to bed thinking the new harbor MASTERS are aligned with the wacko Iranian president's thinking on this issue.

[sabra]

23. $$$$ tops all other priorities...

welcome to DU, btw.

[singe]

25. thanks

thanks for the welcome. i wander over here alot for the news stories but don't post as frequently. i do like what i read as a lurker. and yes, money, money changes everything....

[aquart]

26. Speaking as an American Jew.......

Why would I feel safer if they promise not to eradicate Israel?

Wait. You mean just promise to notice Israel exists. Nope. Still don't feel safer.

Governments change. Contracts last.........how long is this one for?

[singe]

28. your right

i guess my point is that doing bizznezz with these folks is like doing buisness with south africa back in the day or hitler back in the udda day. and ya know what? we couldn't even get a cursory tip of the hat from the uae such as i suggested.

[singe]

29. and furder

and is it not interesting how little play this fatoid is getting in the press or from the politicians?

[jayctravis]

22. The White House, meanwhile, was slow to read the signs

"The White House, meanwhile, was slow to read the signs, write Wolffe and Bailey."

Does this kind of sum up the entire administration in general?

[LuckyLib]

30. The Bushies are too busy meeting each morning to lay out

the spin and just which backdrop McChimp will need for the next hand-picked audience. I wouldn't be surprised if those "appearances" don't start to diminish, given there might be some folks in the worshipful audience with a few too many hard questions!

[rodeodance]

24. umm.. Pol.cartoons always have an irony about them--but Bush missed it.

......When the crisis came to a head, Bush ordered his staff to contact each cabinet secretary involved in reviewing the sale to make sure that everyone stood by the decision. Reassured, Bush called reporters to his conference room aboard Air Force One, where he suggested that critics were indulging in anti- Arab prejudice and promised to veto any legislation blocking the deal. Midweek, as he stepped off the plane in Ohio, the president was greeted by Rep. Steve Chabot. The congressman pressed into the president's hand a cartoon from that morning's Cincinnati Enquirer. It showed a grinning Arab emir spreading his arms over an American port. The caption read, "Relax, Homeland Security has everything under control."

[leesfirstalso]

35. SAME OLE DOG-EARED SCRIPT???!!!

SAME OLE DOG-EARED SCRIPT!



You should be able to recite it from memory! FISA? DUBAI? Different subjects same outcome!
A. Questionable policies revealed
B. Outrage {temporary} Republicans and Democrats with 2006 election jitters respond
C. Bush Threatens action or veto
D. Bush Spin Doctors launched with “Rovian Change The Subject disguise” National Security vs. Racism or Bush breaking the law vs. what newspaper sources leaked classified information
E. Bush backs down from original hard stance{but not really} regroups because of public pressure
F. COMPROMISE {but not really} Investigation launched and headed by BUSH Republicans with over-riding majority vote. Republicans and some Democrats pressured by White House now switch sides
G. Outcome Bush predetermined result wins
H. Apathetic Public goes to malls, plays golf, short memory forgets issue in time


ISN”T DEMOCRACY GRAND???!!!

[RazzleDazzle]

36. Absolutely awesome first post

Welcome to DU!

:thumbsup:

[johnnyrocket]

27. Here's the politcal cartoon....

[mnhtnbb]

31. Dubai--ya bumper stickers

for your die-hard Republican friends/family. Give them one and tell them they need to get up to date!

http://www.cafepress.com/buy/Dubaiya/dubai-ya/-/rpp_18

[singe]

32. superbamundo

brilliant!

[Disturbed]

33. 21 USA Ports and not even one American Corp.

bid on them?

[Historic NY]

34. Again the WH & * asleep at the switch............

Hell, Mike Savage even warned them..........seems our country isn't important enough to * or his staff to track things like ports, etc. We give up the weak link in security to a country that aid and in some case conspired with our enemies. Mr. Bush....you are the weak link..........time to go.

[Geo55]

37. This,

"The congressman pressed into the president's hand a cartoon from that morning's Cincinnati Enquirer. "

perhaps....is the only way you can communicate with our "leader"

[goforit]

38. They didn't have to say a damn word,the action spoke for itselfTRAITOR

[mdmc]

40. kick

:kick: