WTF is going on in the White House?

[Buckeyefan 1]

Via Yahoo News 2/22/06:

Arab Co., White House Had Secret Agreement
AP - 1 hour, 1 minute ago
WASHINGTON - The Bush administration secretly required a company in the United Arab Emirates to cooperate with future U.S. investigations before approving its takeover of operations at six American ports, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press. It chose not to impose other, routine restrictions. As part of the $6.8 billion purchase, state-owned Dubai Ports World agreed to reveal records on demand about "foreign operational direction" of its business at U.S. ports, the documents said. Those records broadly include details about the design, maintenance or operation of ports and equipment.

 

[howie85]

Amazing what a boat load of money can buy you isnt it..

 

[Shadow_Ferret]

I'm all for privatization, but isn't letting the UAE guard our ports sort of like letting the fox into the chicken coop?

 

[Leprkon]

I'm all for privatization, but isn't letting the UAE guard our ports sort of like letting the fox into the chicken coop?

The UAE are good people, but it does set a very bad precedent for the future... How would you legally keep the North Koreans from bidding on nuclear reactor waste disposal ?

how would you keep Toyota Camry's out of Nascar ? it is amazing what a boatload of money will do.....

 

[Buckeyefan 1]

The saga continues...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060224/ap_on_go_pr_wh/ports_security_katrina

 

[Matt34]

I do not know the true intentions of the UAE government but I do know that while serving in both Bosnia and Kosovo they were the only Arab country that sent troops for both peace keeping missions. They have always had our back from what I've experienced.

This is not saying I am totally 100% comfortable with this decision by our leaders or the motives that led to this.

 

[mulester7]

I do not know the true intentions of the UAE government but I do know that while serving in both Bosnia and Kosovo they were the only Arab country that sent troops for both peace keeping missions. They have always had our back from what I've experienced

.....Matt, this was very good to read....appreciate it.....

 

[tbewick]

I'd be more concerned with this:-

The scientific opinion on climate change, as expressed by the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and explicitly endorsed by the national science academies of the G8 nations, is that the average global temperature has risen 0.6 ± 0.2 °C since the late 19th century, and that it is likely that "most of the warming observed over the last 50 years is attributable to human activities"

- wikipedia.org

Anyway, the ports are being bought by P&O (Pacific and Orient), a British company, which just so happens to have been recently bought by an Arab company. It sounds to me more like the Democrats are playing politics. They do of course have previous experience with containment policies (groan).

 

[mulester7]

Anyway, the ports are being bought by P&O (Pacific and Orient), a British company, which just so happens to have been recently bought by an Arab company. It sounds to me more like the Democrats are playing politics. They do of course have previous experience with containment policies (groan).

.....and George said today he didn't know of the port deal until it was already agreed on....there's your groan, Tbewick....

 

[furrycute]

Money will buy you many things.

What's next on the agenda? For a lousy couple of billions in campaign donations, outsource homeland security to Iran?

 

[mtrycrafts]

I'm all for privatization, but isn't letting the UAE guard our ports sort of like letting the fox into the chicken coop?

They would not be guarding the ports. The people and organization who do that today and yesterday would continue doing it after the sale.

What I have heard though is that the UAE would get hundreds of visas, or whatever they need as they can send over their workers for somethings. That is where you can infiltrate and come over to collect intelligence, try to influence whoever they can influence to do harm, or whatever. It would be easier to make contact with naturalized citizens to recruit them.

Why are we not worried about China running Long Beach? Are they such a good friend all of a sudden? Did they help out in peace keeping anywhere? Do they have our interests at hart?

You forbid one, you have to forbid all.

 

[Buckeyefan 1]

Don't forget, Bush supported the Taliban (gave them 43 million dollars in 2001 for declaring that opium growing is against the will of God), and is still very close to the bin Laden family.

http://www.texasobserver.org/showArticle.asp?ArticleID=480

 

[masak_aer]

Don't forget, Bush supported the Taliban (gave them 43 million dollars in 2001 for declaring that opium growing is against the will of God), and is still very close to the bin Laden family.

http://www.texasobserver.org/showArticle.asp?ArticleID=480

I've posted similar topics regarding Bush, Carlyle Group and the Binladen's family. Some folks in this forum didn't appreciate it. It went on and around things that offered no resolutions. I have no interests to defend or accuse any political parties nor have I any political agenda. For me, all the subject matters regarding the war, the business deals backed by the government, and the national policy (that includes the "eavesdropping policy")seem too shady for me.

 

[sts9fan]

I guess you guys didn't get the memo on blindly following the government.

Anyway this is really no a big deal at all and I hate bush with all my being. I have been to Abu Dabi and Dubai and the people are not extreme at all. I know I did not meet everyone but you can still get a feel. The point is you just like it is wrong to blame all of Islam for the worlds troubles its is wrong to ban all Arab nations from doing business with us. During WWII I am sure we did bussiness with other European nations even though Germany was F'in things up. Also there is no security involved in this deal so let that rest. On another note i do think we could have found an American company to handle this crap but that makes me sound way to republican for my liking

 

[furrycute]

The point is you just like it is wrong to blame all of Islam for the worlds troubles its is wrong to ban all Arab nations from doing business with us.

Excuse me, but I thought this is precisely what this administration has been doing for the last couple of years. Or have I been out of the loop for too long?