Molly Ivins: It's the Corporation, Stupid (on UAE ports deal)

[Dudley_DUright]

So, aside from the fact that it’s politically idiotic and at least theoretically presents a national security risk, just what is wrong with the Dubai Ports deal?

As President George W. Bush actually said, “I want those who are questioning it to step up and explain why all of a sudden a Middle Eastern company is held to a different standard than a Great British company. I’m trying to conduct foreign policy now by saying to the people of the world, we’ll treat you fairly.”

So, what’s wrong with that? There’s our only president standing up against discrimination and against tarring all Arabs with the same brush and all that good stuff. (The fact that it was Mr. Racial Profiling speaking, the man who has single-handedly created more Arab enemies for this country than anyone else ever dreamed of doing is just one of those ironies we regularly get whacked over the head with.)

OK, here’s for starters. We have already been warned that, should we back out of the DP deal, the United Arab Emirates may well take offense and not be so nice about helping us in the War on Terra—maybe even cut back its money, as well as its cooperation. This is a problem specific to the fact that we are dealing with a corporation owned by a country: A corporation only wants to make money, a corporation owned by a country has lots of motives.

more...

http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/20060223_its_the_corporation_stupid/

[The Backlash Cometh]

1. It's bullshit to believe that this is nothing more than a corporate deal.

You know how it's obvious? Because the Bush Administration gave up the UAE too easily. In an effort to cover his own ass, Bush just let the cat out of the bag and told the terrorists that the UAE was about to get bought. And don't forget that these terrorists have direct access to the UAE royalty, on a social basis.

This excuse was too easily released. This was about a corporate deal for Bush, and how the UAE was going to use those loopholes they were given is pretty obvious.

[Inland]

3. Well, Bush says his diplomatic efforts requires this deal.

So it's pretty clearly not a business deal only. If it was, we could cut the UAE a check and buy out the contract. No, clearly the UAE wants, for it's own national reasons, control over our ports.

[The Backlash Cometh]

4. It's a business deal to Bush, but to the UAE, it's more.

That's what I meant in my post. Our leaders are a bunch of whores, and we will pay a high price for their greed and disloyalty.

[Arkansas Granny]

6. Who knows what kind of a deal it was? Bush didn't know about it

until he heard about it through newspapers. This decision was made by the U.S. Treasury Department's Committee on Foreign Investment and didn't have any oversight by the Cabinet or Congress. They apparently didn't complete a customary 45 day investigation that is usually conducted on the sale of a U.S. business to a foreign entity. This is what makes me so uneasy about this deal. It's the usual Bush administration policy: Just trust me!

[Inland]

2. But the Bushie ideology assumes corps rational maximizers of profit.

The concept that a corp owned by a country would do the country's bidding only applies to European socialism, it seems, and the concept that an employee might do something contrary to the corp financial interest only applies to Andy Fastow.

[Captain Hilts]

5. The Brits are 'family', the UAE are not. 'Nuff said! Read history, W!