'Political Baggage' from Ports Deal Could Undermine Bush, Say Observers
by Chad Groening and Jody Brown
February 24, 2006
(AgapePress) - - The head of a Washington, DC-based military think tank believes when all is said and done, the controversial sale of U.S. port management to a United Arab Emirate-owned firm will be stopped. Both he and another Washington conservative see the real possibility of extensive political damage to the conservative cause otherwise. Numerous conservatives -- and even some liberals in Congress -- are expressing their displeasure with the reported sale of dock operations in New York, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Miami, and New Orleans to Dubai Ports World, a company owned by and based in the Middle Eastern nation. Outside of the obvious potential threat to national security, some observers are also convinced it could be politically harmful for President Bush if he continues to demonstrate support for the business deal.
Frank Gaffney, president of the Center for Security Policy, believes the arrangement is not in the best interests of America's national security -- but he also believes that, ultimately, the deal will not be allowed to go through.
"My guess is you're going to see this deal rejected," Gaffney offers. "Perhaps the president will change his mind and oppose it himself; or perhaps it will be blocked by an act of Congress, which [I believe] will be passed by veto-proof margins in both the House and Senate." The president has threatened to veto any act of Congress to block the deal.
But Gaffney is convinced Bush will suffer politically if he continues to support the sale. "I think he will play into the hands of those who want to portray him as not serious about this war [on terror]," he says. "And too, he will help credential people who have not been all that serious about this war, particularly some of his Democratic critics, by allowing them to portray themselves as more serious about homeland security than is the president of the United States."
Neither of these possible effects are good things, says Gaffney, and are "all the more reason why we need to see this deal blocked as soon as possible."
Conservative spokesman Gary Bauer has similar concerns. He notes that national security has been the "strong suit" for both the president and his party's leaders in Congress -- and it is "beyond painful to watch," he says, as those people "bleed" politically. The whole controversy, he states, depresses him.
"It is depressing to see 'pols' like Senator Hillary Clinton repositioning herself to the right of the president on an issue where she has no credibility," says the president of American Values. "It is doubly depressing because it all could have been avoided."
And while Bauer says he continues to have confidence in President Bush, he offers some political advice. "[T]his issue is hurting [President Bush] and his best friends in Congress," he says. "It is increasing the likelihood that both the House and Senate will be under the control of Ted Kennedy, Harry Reid, and Nancy Pelosi [after the next election]."
Bauer suggests the president find a compromise soon -- or take other possible steps. "Announce an additional 45-day review of the transaction," he offers as advice. And to address security concerns? "Appoint an American board of governors that will stand between the UAE company and port operations so that sensitive information doesn't fall into the wrong hands."
Bauer also offers a final piece of counsel to President Bush. "Fire someone! You should have been told about this decision before it was made."
