UAE Port Deal: Islamophobia or Worthy of Concern

So should we truly be concerned with the fact that an Islamic state run company is taking over operations of six major U.S. ports? The answer is: absolutely. While the UAE has been, as Steven Emerson has pointed out, an "ally of sorts," it is certainly worth mentioning that they have had ties to terrorism in the past including 9/11. Two of the 9/11 hijackers came from the UAE and more than half of the money spent on the attack was funnelled through banks in Dubai. While Dick Meyer has done a good job of breaking down the myths associated with this takeover it is still important to note that this company, which is state owned, has had a shady relationship with the United States over the past few years. This is not simply a matter of some fifty-cent word, "islamophobia," this is truly something to be concerned about. As Hillary Clinton, that vile and wretched stain on American politics, has noted, less than 5% of cargo entering the United States is inspected. While I disagree with Clinton on just about every issue she makes a very good point. We inspect less than 5% of cargo coming in and we're going to allow port operations to be conducted by a state owned company with terror ties? Sorry, this doesn't pass the common sense test, I don't care how many months were invested into looking over this deal. And why is Bush so quick to pull out the veto stick on this anyway? I'm sorry, my gut just tells me that it isn't simply because he doesn't want to damage our relationship with the UAE. While I've supported Bush on just about every initiative involving homeland security and the war on terror this is, quite frankly, a display of negligence by the administration in one of our most sensitive areas of national security. Oh, but don't think I'm giving Clinton and the Dems a free pass on this one. No, they don't truly care about national security. This is simply another example of their dedication to "oppose" the other party. It's politics as usual with them and they will use this to their advantage in the elections this year as well as in the 2008 Presidential race. Our national security cannot be compromised in such a blatant manner. Did we learn nothing from 9/11? It's one thing to be attacked out of the blue (no pun intended I assure you) but to leave the back door unlocked is simply wrong. Call it islamophobia if you want, I think it's bad business to allow any country with former terrorist ties so close to home as 9/11 to operate such a vulnerable area. Thankfully the deal has been put on hold until it can be reviewed further.

Linked to: Rhymes with Right, The Liberal Wrong Wing, Blue Star Chronicles, Third World County, TMH's Bacon Bits, Adam's Blog, The Real Ugly American, Basil's Blog, Stuck on Stupid

Tags: Bush, Islam, Portgate, terrorism, Politics, News, Dubai, dubai ports