Step right up folks. Get your Swiftboat tickets here.

[Dr.Phool]

For anyone who had any doubts that the Port Deal wasn't a Rove idea. Just heard on c-span, reading from the Wall Street Journal, attack on Democrats for trying to block the deal. Hints at racism.

Bush and the 'pukes get a twofer, or better. Bush and cronies get to line their pockets, Dems get painted as obstructionists and racists with double standards, and Republican congressmen get to vote against Bush policy for the election in November, but not enough to override a veto.

Never mind that Frist and Hastert want to introduce legislation to stop it. The talking points are out, and it's all you're going to hear for a while.

[acmavm]

1. Won't matter. They've overreached themselves. They can

scream 'racism' all they want, it will not matter. They've been playing the fear card for so long that now when they really need everyone NOT to dwell on 911, that's pretty much all that anyone can think of.

[slor]

5. Exactly...

and they will also get burned on the sense of "outsourcing", if the Dems play this right. Corporations are running the country, national security be damned.

[Tin Man]

6. I agree. Drunk on hubris and arrogance, Bush has finally jumped the shark

...on this deal. No way this can stand - too many Joe Redstaters asking themselves "WTF? W is gonna let them eye-rackies run our ports?"

[Binka]

8. Yep! 4.5 Years Of Pimping Arab Fears & Phobias For Fun & Profit

Is not going to go away because....BUSH SAYS THESE FOLKS ARE OUR ALLIES. I'll make a quaint analogy.....

Say you had a three year old and there was one particular toilet you wanted to be sure he/she never used. You would make up a story about a monster in that PARTICULAR toilet and it would bite their ass if they sat on it. And you repeat that story every chance you could. So the kid not wanting to be bitten on the ass by a monster runs in fear from that toilet. No way Jose is that toilet getting peed or pooped in...NO WAY!

Then one day after years of conditioning you decide that it behooves you to have the child use that toilet after all. You say the monster isn't in the toilet anymore and this toilet is now his/her friend. Not only will the child refuse to do so, he/she will feel BETRAYED that you would put he/she in harms way.

Bush has fucked the duck here. You don't make monsters into friends.

[Viva_La_Revolution]

17. Binka! that's a perfect analogy.

It's been fun watching all the freeper heads exploding over this. :)

They've been feeding peoples racist veiws for the past 5 years, and now it's coming back to bite them in the ass. serves them right.

[mdmc]

2. the only way out of this is for bush to prove the deal is secure

I think AmeriKa is too racist to ever support this deal (it was not big deal when the brits ran the port). The USA trusts no one in the middle east.

[acmavm]

13. You know what? Everything doesn't come down to racism or

bigotry. I don't want any foreign country in control of any part of the exits/entrances into this country. None, nada, zip, zilch, nihil, none.

The ports and the borders are an American issue, an American territory, and control over them should never be 'sold' to another country.

Apparently you feel confortable with this administration selling off these assets. I do not. And it's not based on race, creed, or color. It's based on the fact that this is an American issue, and should be a top priority for anyone serious about maintaining (or at least making the effort to maintain) our security.

And no one blow that tired "Americans will still be in charge of security" crap in my face because I'm not that stupid. A foreign 'owner' of a dock facility can do a lot of damage. How would we know what they, or a criminal employee were up to? We wouldn't. Not that we do now, but we sure as hell won't then.

[mdmc]

21. usa= good, foreign = bad

bring on haliburton.:kick:

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

3. It won't play, because

sadly, many people here are racists, and they are going to look at this and say blocking the sale is the way to go on racial/religious grounds. And a lot of these folks are going to be part of Bush's base.

[castiron]

4. Dems also get to be isolationast, anti-free-traders

While Rs get to make another contract with Amerika, this one including outright threats against gays and abortion.

[AndyA]

7. It won't work this time

The fear factor is getting old. They can scream racism all they want, but the fact is the United Arab Emerites was a contibuting factor in the 9/11 terrorist attack on America. They helped funnel money and materials, and they recognize the Taliban as a legitimate government. That's a fact.

They cannot, and SHOULD NOT be trusted with something as sacred as American ports. They can pull the bigotry or racism card out if they want, but facts are facts and this makes Bush and the Republicans look weak on national security. And that's all they've got right now.

I think the Swiftboat has sprung a leak.

[Dr.Phool]

9. Americans have a memory about as long as their attention span.

About 5 minutes. THIS ADMINISTRATION recognized the Taliban as a legitimate government until about 9:30 am est on Sept. 11.

We're all safe here, Saddam is in jail for what he did on Sept. 11, and it's OK for our "allies in the war on terror" to take over our ports.

Tomorrow, he'll appoint a member of the Bin Laden family or the Saudi Royal Family as Director of FEMA.:sarcasm:

[libertad]

10. I don't think it is even a "race" issue. We shouldn't turn our ports over

to any foreign company. It doesn't matter if the company is from Sweden, UAE or Russia.

[Binka]

11. Bush Is Using The "But They Were In The Hands Of A British Co Before"

Is proving to be a difficult sell, for several reasons. First GB was and is a strong ally in the WAR ON TERRA (I think it is BS but it's been a meme for 4.5 years) and the second reason is that MOST PEOPLE HAD NO CLUE THE BRITISH WERE CONTROLLING THE PORTS AND THEY ARE PISSED OFF.

[izzybeans]

12. They could use it to deflect attention

away from their racist immigration campaign strategies I guess. But then again most republicans don't like this either.

But if the dems can't "catapult" this b.S. right back on turd blossom then perhaps all those supposed independent swing voters really aren't all that independent.

[sendero]

14. It the average American...

... wasn't xenophobic at best, racist at worst, you'd have a point.

Rove is smarter than that, if this is their strategy it will fail in the court of public opinion.

[tsuki]

15. Frist and Hastert want to investigate to give it the A-Okay.

[FormerDittoHead]

16. BS ..'cause if we go along with it, Dems can never say it was wrong...

This is the Iraq frame - if you don't vote for it, you're bad, if you do, you're approving of it and then can't complain.

The perceptual problem with being obstructionist is not having a concrete alternative. I don't think that's the problem here.

As for racism, I really don't see Republicans getting any minority voters over this, do you? What a load of crap.

[MuseRider]

18. Dunno about that.

They have been scaring people for the last 5 years. Brown people! Arabs! Islam! Whatever they could use to support their wars. Now that it is ingrained in their supporters and they have been using it to get everything they want they may just run up against all that fear. Their base, their support is based entirely on fear of Arabs. You can't just turn that around because you can make a little money.

I think they will see Bush** as an idiot and incompetent. Sell our ports to WHO?? The racism was set over the last few years by BushCo. They can't change it with the dollar.

[Binka]

19. Hey Muse See My Story In Post #8

[MuseRider]

20. Perfect!

I have to admit that I did a big no no. I answered without reading through all the responses. That is something I rarely do but was on my way out the door in a big hurry and felt the need to respond. Your answer is exactly what I was trying to say only in a much better (and more fun) way.