Legacy of hate and mistrust caused by Congressional opponents of deal (cartoon: Mike Keefe/Denver Post)This is a sad & outrageous day. A black day for America, for democracy, for tolerance and for commercial intercourse among nations. Surely, there will come a day when we will rue what we have forced Dubai Ports World to do today. I hate to wish ill upon my country and fellow countryfolk. But if UAE chooses the European Airbus instead of Boeing for that next $10-billion airplane deal this spring, we’ll have only ourselves to blame.
So DPW is going to transfer the port operations to an American company. That’s rich considering that there are few, if any such companies that can handle this deal. Our shipping industry has been on the decline since the mid-1950s. That’s why 80% of imported cargo is handled here by foreign companies. All I can say is good luck in finding someone who can do the job. I’d predict a massive cargo bottleneck lasting weeks, if not months after the ports are handed over by DPW & P&O.
Thinkitthrough makes an excellent point when he reminds us that it was the the U.S. airport security system which allowed the 9/11 hijackings. Are we that confident that our current security regimen will guarantee the safety of our ports even with a U.S. company managing the port?
I doubt DPW will have the stomach to challenge this outrage in court. I have no doubt that they would win a resounding victory as I can think of no legal justification for essentially robbing the company of its right to do business in the U.S. The selective targeting of this particular company, owned by adherents of a particular religion, and based in a particular nation located in a particular region, is the worst and most base form of political pandering. I look forward to the day when Duncan Hunter, Hillary Clinton, Jerry Lewis, Chuck Schumer and Peter King get their political comeuppance. I can see no circumstance in which I would vote for any Democrat who played a leading role in this shameful episode. The only way I’d vote for Clinton for president is if her opponent were in the Bush mold. If the Republican candidate were John McCain, much as I disagree with him on many issues, at least he didn’t grandstand or pander on this thing. These political miscreants should be made to pay a price for their mischief.
This disgusting incident has also pointed to the complete meltdown of the Bush presidency. He no longer commands congressional Republicans. He no longer sets the political agenda. He no longer issues orders which the troops follow. He’s a toothless wonder–eviscerated, emasculated and emaciated. He wouldn’t even use his Constitution-given prerogative to issue a veto. He will likely go down in history as one of two or three presidents who didn’t issue a single veto during their presidency (and the others happened because they died shortly after taking office!
On this day xenophobia has won, racism has won, fear has won. It is a day that should live in infamy.
For some truly righteous indignation about the death of the deal read, as usual, Lounsberry.
Those folks will only get their comeuppance when Americans realize that their democracy has been hijacked into a two-party state. In the meantime, pretend you don’t hear them.
It’s nice we can continue to perpetuate our new image as isolationist rubes.
While the rest of the world flocks to Dubai to party with major players in the global economy, we’ll continue to wither in fear and paranoia.
Though the pols and the media, like Lou Dobbs, should be rightfully blamed for their ignorant and treacherous behavoir, it wouldn’t have been possible if not for the xenophobia of the American citizen. Since we continue to stifle educators like Bennish who try to balance out the indoctrination into American exceptionalism I don’t see much changing anytime soon. This is how the end starts.