GOP Governors Threaten to Block Port Deal
Two Republican governors are threatening legal action to block an Arab company from taking over operations in major U.S. ports and some GOP lawmakers say the deal should be closely examined.
In the uneasy climate after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the Bush administration decision to allow the transaction is threatening to develop a major political headache for the White House.
New York Gov. George Pataki and Maryland Gov. Robert Ehrlich on Monday voiced doubts about the acquisition of a British company that has been running six U.S. ports by Dubai Ports World, a state-owned business in the United Arab Emirates...
"Ensuring the security of New York's port operations is paramount and I am very concerned with the purchase of Peninsular & Oriental Steam by Dubai Ports World," Pataki said in a news release. "I have directed the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to explore all legal options that may be available to them."
Ehrlich, concerned about security at the Port of Baltimore, said Monday he was "very troubled" that Maryland officials got no advance notice before the Bush administration approved the Arab company's takeover of the operations at the six ports.
"We needed to know before this was a done deal, given the state of where we are concerning security," Ehrlich told reporters in the State House rotunda in Annapolis...
Republican Sen. Lindsay Graham of South Carolina said on Fox News Sunday that the administration approval was "unbelievably tone deaf politically."
Yep, there's a war on terror going on and Bush snuck approval for this in without a word. Well, let's see if Congress will back THIS shit up...
by MG at 7:20 AM
4 Comments:
I have a very sinking feeling this is all for show and will amount to nothing. We live 15 minutes from the port of Baltimore. Our governor is an idiot plain and simple. They only reason we believe he is saying anything is because the mayor of Baltimore (O'Malley) is largely expected to run against him for governor and he's not happy about the situation and is talking about it as often as he can so it sort of push Erlich to do something. The whole situation is just scary!
Apparently, racial and ethnic profiling in the name of protecting this country from terrorists or acts of terrorism, only applies to people who aren't part of an international corporation with a secret in to the President, and only applies for people who don't have enough money to sit at the big boys table.
Money talks.
Iggy? Iggy? Where you at Iggy? I want to hear your Bush loving, backing of this fantastic idea.
While Bush and his administration have well earned and deserve any sceptisizm and/or cynisizm that they get I think this proposal/subject of the ports should stand alone in how we carefully examine it.
Here is an interesting take on it.
http://www.antiwar.com/eland/?articleid=8582
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