Kerry: Israel Boycott Calls Dubai Ports Deal Further Into Question

[kerrygoddess]

John Kerry: Israel Boycott Calls Dubai Ports Deal Further Into Question
February 28th, 2006 @ 10:49 am

According to a story in today’s Jerusalem Post, The Ports, Customs and Free Zone Corporation, an entity wholly owned by the Government of Dubai and the parent company of Dubai Ports World, participates in the Arab League boycott of Israel.

Below is a statement from Senator John Kerry on this story:

“The Administration’s mismanaged and misguided debacle of a ports deal has just gotten even worse. Not only did they skip the required national security investigation, now we learn that the parent company of Dubai Ports World actively participates in the Arab boycott of Israel. This boycott not only violates at least the spirit of U.S. law, it is inconsistent with everything we believe in as Americans. We should not be rewarding companies that support discrimination against our key strategic ally and the Middle East’s only democracy.

MORE & LINKS - http://blog.thedemocraticdaily.com/?p=2083

[ProSense]

1. Bush is definitely

a special brand of clueless. I would say he doesn't give a damn, but that just doesn't compensate for the stupidity of this deal. Even the timing was stupid; it's a severe problem for the Republican Party.

[TayTay]

2. MeThinks somebody is primed for that hearing this afternoon

Geez, it's a good day to be having a Ports Security hearing. (Wow!)

[whometense]

3. Tuned in,

and hoping for fireworks. Good day for a pissed-off-JK sighting!

[TayTay]

5. We need a Senate watchers as well

Cloture: for or agin it?

EDIT: Patriot Act II (Sequels never do as well as the original as everyone knows, btw.)

VOTED AGAINST CLOTURE. (Yeah!)

[whometense]

8. JK did??

I've been flat out at work all day so far, and missed everything.

[TayTay]

9. Yes!

I think the Dems were pissed at the Rethugs for not allowing any amendments into the Patriot Act redux so they planned on voting against cloture but for the bill. (Sigh! Yeah, that doesn't make any sense to me either.)

[jillan]

4. This has been a huge issue of the ports deal

That Dubai does not acknowledge Israel as a state.

Israel has been a US ally for too long. Now we are going to support Dubai, and give the bsh finger to Israel?

And to our idiot Prez - how do you think this will help promote
peace in the Mideast?

Do these people have brains - or are they all morans?

What we do without Kerry?

[TayTay]

6. OMG!

Forbidden question: What we do without Kerry?

We are not allowed to peer that far into the abyss. It's bad for digestion.

[jillan]

7. We will never find out -

not for a long, long time.

[TayTay]

10. Up first

JK is raising the port security issue, as he has for years. (This after Stevens bloviated about how the deal doesn't mean anything, honest, look I have a shiny thing in my hand. Look at me, shiny.)

Oh snap: Use the veto pen on a deal he didn't even know about until recently. Oh snap! I think JK is enjoying this. He even mentioned the Rethugs 'pre-9/11 mentality of the Admin.'

[whometense]

11. pre-9/11 !!

snark.

[kerrygoddess]

12. Out of the gate! N/T

[TayTay]

13. Nice job.

I do think my esteemed Sen got a kick out of knocking the Admin for a lapse in security. Ahm, it's only human, after all. (Payback is such a be-yatch.)

EDIT: Vitter is dull and boring. "This covers New Orleans. NOLA does a lot of port stuff. I like ports. Security is a good things. blah blah blah.

[whometense]

17. F*** you, McCain

"I'd like to remind my colleagues..." Mr. Schoolmarm.

[jillan]

18. Let McCain support this - it will only come back to haunt him in '08.

[ProSense]

15. Wonderful!

The point was just made that terminal ownership is not port ownership.

[ProSense]

14. Excellent opening statement.

A rebuttal of the thorough review claim in light of the number of key officials who just learned about the deal and the Coast Guard reports.

[TayTay]

16. McCain: You can't grandstand, that's my job

Don't you even think about trying to score points based on foreign ownership of the port authorities. That's what Rethugs do and we throw in calling your patriotism into question as just part of the package.

[ProSense]

19. Weak argument

None of those foreign terminal owners were linked to 9/11.

[karynnj]

20. Lautenberg is great

-Newark is a very critical port.

[whometense]

21. He's doing an excellent job

with the added bonus of nicely slapping down McCain.

[TayTay]

22. I agree

This was a weak pre-emptive attempt to stop the argument that 'this is racist.' It's not. There are legitimate concerns about cronyisms in allowing the deal to go throw, revolving door condition that permit yet another businessman to become the regulator for the industry he just left and there are genuine concerns about security and safety. And do we want to have a country that doesn't recognize Israel doing this? (Plus Dubai played a part in drug money laundering and still might play a part for Afghanistan and so forth.)

Ah Steves: What does that have to do with Fisheries. What indeed.

Does Stevens seems especially pissed off to anyone else today? He always reminds me of Homer's father on The Simpson's but today he is extra cranky.

[ProSense]

23. Did Stevens (?)

just ask what this has to do with fisheries? Did you see the person behind Cantwell as she explained the committee's relevance?

[TayTay]

24. Go get 'em Babs!

Everyone else can go home. Just let Sens. Kerry, Boxer and Dorgan have at 'em. They know what they are talking about, what it has to do with Fisheries and so forth.

I have to leave now and will watch the rest of this in re-run land. (Where I can fast-forward through whatever moronic drivel Sen. Allen will no doubt spill.)

Keep posting. This is great stuff.

[ProSense]

26. Dorgan!

Nuts!

:rofl:

[babylonsister]

36. What, pray tell, are you watching?

:shrug:
Signed,
Clueless as usual

[ProSense]

25. Go get em Sen. Boxer!

Friggin common sense. Who OWNS something and is not responsible for keeping it secure. They're going to pay $6.5 billion for a piece of paper?


With all due respect, I should say Senator Boxer.

[ProSense]

27. Security is not competitive?

What an ass. Fucking figure it out or get out.

[ProSense]

28. Allen is a jerk

blah blah blah....

Form a damn opinion that makes sense.


DeMint: most members of Congress don't understand port security. BS! He doesn't. Those members of Congress need to be removed.

Kerry understands it fine.

[jillan]

29. Here comes the race card.

This is the most annoying argument coming from the repugs.

[ProSense]

30. Yes, was the law followed?

NO STFU. It's not race.

[ProSense]

31. What about the UAE boycotting Israel?

Stupid Repubs STFU!

[jillan]

32. Nelson - thank god

a voice of reason.

[ProSense]

33. He also brought up Sanborn's connection to DPW. n/t

[jillan]

34. Where is Kerry going?

Wanting to keep the record open for questions. Schedule conflict.

[ProSense]

35. The Repubs switched the order

I think some members were anticipating being able to question certain witnesses, either this current group or the later. I think it's this group. So Kerry was requesting that the record be left open so those member can submit questions is writing.


This guy is saying there are three American, so why did the deal state that the company didn't have to provide an American to respond to U.S. requests?

[ProSense]

37. What BS!

The DPW guy is appealing to our patriotism.

[jillan]

38. Keep posting

I gotta get some stuff done.

Is there a way to listen to it later?

[ProSense]

39. It just got cut off.

I was watching on the computer.

[ProSense]

40. But look!

Tue Feb 28, 3:46 PM ET
Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., makes an opening statement during a Senate Commerce Committee hearing investigating the controversial deal by Dubai Ports World to run terminals at six U.S. ports, New York, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Miami, and New Orleans, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2006. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

:patriot:


:loveya:

[jillan]

41. Now that is a beautiful site.

There's a thread on this hearing here

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x540111

ok - I am really getting off the computer this time ...

[ProSense]

42. Article on boycott, Kerry quoted.

Bush Still Stands By Ports Deal
(Page 1 of 2)

WASHINGTON, Feb. 28, 2006

(CBS/AP) President Bush said Tuesday he remains supportive of a United Arab Emirates-based company's takeover of some U.S. port operations, even though a new, more intensive investigation of the deal's potential security risks has yet to begin.

Mr. Bush is the final arbiter of that second review. Yet, he said after an Oval Office meeting with Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi that "my position hasn't changed" on support for transferring control of management of some major U.S. port facilities from a British company to Dubai-based DP World.

The administration's approval of the deal has caused an uproar from Republicans and Democrats in Congress that it could open the country to terrorist dangers. Lawmakers criticized the deal anew on Tuesday, despite Republican leaders' hopes that the furor had diminished.

In another potential setback for the deal, the Jerusalem Post reported Wednesday that the parent company of DP World participates in the Arab League's boycott of Israel.

Reacting to the report, Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., said, "This boycott not only violates at least the spirit of U.S. law, it is inconsistent with everything we believe in as Americans. We should not be rewarding companies that support discrimination against our key strategic ally and the Middle East's only democracy."


http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/02/28/national/main1354881.shtml

[jillan]

43. I just love it how Kerry's quote is in bold type

right in the middle of the Bsh article.

Glad Kerry is getting some attention for this.