The port story is on every "news" station--why is that?

[linazelle]

Why is Chertoff taking the blame for it?

Why are Bush's staunch supporters LOUDLY protesting this story?

Why, am I suspicious because all of this is happening in concert? Again?



I am sorry. I know many think that this story is important--and I do too. But when all of the Bush gang starts reading off the same page, in unified protest (the same way that they ALL protested Harriet Miers' nomination) then something else is up.


This is one of those lesser-of-two evils stories IMHO. And for those who would say, "at least it's out there"...I say, "yes, but at what cost", and "yes, but I'm tired of the manipulation." The whole Bush era can be summed up by one word: INSANITY.

[cdsilv]

1. So Bushco can 'fold' and give the contract to Halliburton....

...without catching hell for it....

[OneBlueSky]

21. precisely . . . if it's being covered by the corporate media . . .

it's because BushCo WANTS it covered by the corporate media . . . which means there's more to it than meets the eye . . . something equally nefarious, no doubt . . .

[txindy]

27. I immed. thought of that, too.

Then the wingnuts will all sigh with relief and say, "As long as it's not the Arabs, I don't care who gets the contract!" :eyes: Halliburton will look like their 'savior'. Oh, barf.

[Generator]

2. Maybe you are right but

some of us have hope because of the hubris. Is the Bush admin so lazy-why yes-to believe-why yes-they can get away with anything? It seems to me the media has figured out the enemy might actually be on Pennslyvania Avenue. It's like obvious, dude. They are outsourcing our "security" to terrorist nations. How obvious does it have to get before it's obvious?

[linazelle]

10. It's their typical, in-your-face style....they thrive on the outrageous

I remember in 2003 at the height of the Iraq war and Bush's stupid comments about not caring out OBL, he went on vacation and the administration announced they were pulling the air marshalls from all planes. At the very same time, they started stories about futures markets to bet on when the next terrrorists attacks would be. And while everybody trembled and fretted, they took their vacations, came back rested and these things never materialized--just as I am sure the port issue will not fully materialize. Just like Harriet Miers did not materialize.

[TomClash]

3. You may be on to something

I think their main competitor is a Florida company. Hmm.

[niyad]

4. "beware the man who is looking you straight in the eye--he wants to

prevent you from seeing something" (from dorothy sayer's "strong poison") In our political context, I interpret it as "beware when the gov't and the press are all focusing on the same story--they are doing something they don't want you to notice". they are, without a doubt, up to something sleazy, corrupt, underhanded and probably evil. my advice is to look very carefully in every direction BUT what they are trying to focus us on.

[illflem]

5. Same stink was raised with the Unocal sale

this time bush will ride to the rescue to block the sale.
Might be good for a couple of approval points.

[jean]

9. bush should have stopped it before it happened

[HysteryDiagnosis]

6. Any port in a storm as they say.... and this administration has

been sailing stormy seas of their own making for some time now.... soooooooo....

[The Backlash Cometh]

7. Because it has legs, because it is an issue which everyone, freepers and

Democrats alike, believe in. Because, we are finding out more about the UAE, than I think many in the Bush Administration would want us to know about. It is like the one key that will open up all those other conspiracy doors we've been talking about here on DU. Once people make one leap to a tin-foiled lily pad, it won't be long before they can make others.

[Strelnikov_]

8. When It Gets Overturned, GOP Congress Will Point To Their 'Independence'

from the Man/Monkey administration, thus inoculating themselves from a Democratic attack on Congress role as a 'check and balance' in November.

This was a subject of the two-minute hate in the Reich-Wing propaganda outlets last week, therefore indicating something is in play.

[linazelle]

16. Very on target. Manufacture a story, choose the winning side of

a predetermined outcome, and come out smelling like a rose. :eyes:

"The 'two-minute' hate..."so appropo. So now Emanuel BinGoldstein is in Dubai I guess? :eyes:

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

11. Follow the money. This isn't about "security".

It's about corporations and payoffs to politicians.

[rucky]

12. Because their greed surpasses their intelligence. n/t

[linazelle]

13. Now that I will buy. nt

[stillcool]

14. Orchestrated drama...

If we could take one propaganda piece and trace it from it's inception...perhaps we could deduce the pattern, or formula they use. Current events need some translation for those of us with logical minds.

[linazelle]

15. Amen. nt

[Neil Lisst]

17. ding, ding, ding! we have a winner!! it's ORCHESTRATED DRAMA

It's the value of the presidency. You create the chaos, then you step in to fix it, as if not of your making to begin with.

The point is to get the populace worried and thinking about terror at those ports, which moves the populace in the direction Bush wants to move them.

Purely orchestrated, and there will be a solution. Three cheers for the president! He stopped himself from doing this.

[PhilipShore]

19. I agree 100%

I am not a lawyer; but years later, I found out about a civil suit from 1967 to 1976 concerning my grandfathers Will/Trust, which was taken to the courts in Miami (the same place of the port scandal current lawsuit?), and that is exactly what they did: they created chaos specifically, so that they would have the opportunity to fix it, but in reality the fix was a swindle operation.

[EC]

20. Three cheers for the president! He stopped himself from doing this.

There's your next cartoon....

[spindrifter]

18. H*burton will not get

the contract to run the ports. Instead, I firmly believe the Carlyle trophy, QinetiQ will run off with it. Interestingly, their web page features four topics:
Defence (British spelling)
Security
Commercial
United States

My question concerns the fourth domain--like, WTF? The reason they are so well placed to come in on port security is that they are into things like nanotechnology and other areas that are creepy spy-book fillers.

Also, did anyone check this out--the P & O selling price is apparently right in the ballpark of what we are paying for the DP World "service". What a wash that is.

[FreedomAngel82]

22. I wonder what's going on too

[Armstead]

23. Never underestimate Stupidity

IMO there's a real simple explanation. Stupidity. And for once it backfired on them because they touched the wrong nerve in the conservative population.

[linazelle]

24. Yeah but stupidity in b flat? All of the Thugs are saying the very

same thing--same talking points, same sound bytes repeated ad nauseum.

They say:

"This is a country that one of the 9/11 hijackers used to withdraw banking funds."

I'm thinking THIS(America)is a country where the hijackers lived and learned to fly planes into buildings. So f**ing what.

They say:

"This not about prejudice..."

And you know that it is...


All of it is insincere bullshit. There is not true outrage. It's a passion play at best.

[Armstead]

26. They've got nothing to gain by looking like corrupt idiots

I mean corrupt idiots to their own followers.

Whether it's racism, legitimate concern or recognizing a basic lack of consistency, a lot of conservatives truly seem in high dudegon about this.

I think that lack of consistency is what got their goat.

[linazelle]

28. Nobody said they look like corrupt idiots--it's just that they ARE

That's the problem. Most people will not accept/believe that they could be so corrupt, which is why they get away with it right under their noses.

[Armstead]

29. That may well be true

The disbelief factor.


"I can't believe they could be so stupid."

To a true believer it would be hard to shift gears so quickly.

[NVMojo]

25. It's about damn time! That story has been here on DU for over a week!