Giving the fox the keys to the henhouse?

Ok, someone call the Vice President and ask him to shoot ME.

Why are we even discussing handing over 6 of our ports to Dubai Ports World, a state-owned business in the United Arab Emirates?

The city's ports, considered a major target of terrorists, are about to be taken over by a firm based in the United Arab Emirates, a country with financial links to the Sept. 11 hijackers.

Dubai Ports World is set to complete a $6.8 billion deal to purchase Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Co., a London company that already runs commercial port operations in New York, New Jersey, Baltimore, New Orleans and Miami.

Personally, I'm none too keen on ANY foreign country controlling access to U.S. ports. But this is ridiculous.

Even the Democrats are against this!! (but consider, even a broken clock is right twice a day) They raise several red flags worth considering:

- The UAE has been a key transfer point for illegal shipments of nuclear components to Iran, North Korea and Lybia.

- According to the FBI, money was transferred to the 9/11 hijackers through the UAE banking system.

- Two of the 9/11 hijackers were from the UAE (Fayez Banihammad and Marwan al-Shehhi)

- After 9/11, the Treasury Department reported that the UAE was not cooperating in efforts to track down Osama Bin Laden’s bank accounts.

And President Bush, who supposedly has a hardon for national security, is willing to hand over control of 6 of our major ports to a country with questionable ties to terrorist groups. WTF?!

Captain Ed sounds off with the "no duh":

We do not allow foreign ownership of our media because we want to make sure that the American press is not used for foreign propaganda. (Whether it gets used for domestic propaganda is a favorite topic of the blogosphere, of course.) More to the point, we do not allow foreign companies to compete for defense contracts in order to maintain national security.

With that as a precedent, why would we allow a foreign company of any kind control over our ports when we are in the middle of a war against Islamofacist terrorism? Many among us have continued to note the vulnerabilities of our ports as a potential entry point for terrorists, and yet we treat them with less care than a defense contract for toilet seats. [emphasis added] American companies exist for this purpose and should have precedence in this market, or if not, then the government should take control of our ports. We nationalized airport security after 9/11; will it take an attack on a port to get us to take those targets seriously as well?

And if this doesn't show what a bad idea it is, I don't know what will.

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UPDATE: Bush is now digging in his heels about this UAE Port Deal.

"After careful review by our government, I believe the transaction ought to go forward," Bush told reporters who had traveled with him on Air Force One to Washington. "I want those who are questioning it to step up and explain why all of a sudden a Middle Eastern company is held to a different standard than a Great British company. I am trying to conduct foreign policy now by saying to the people of the world, `We'll treat you fairly.'"

Great British? Aren't they that nuke-yoo-ler power?

Political correctness is no way to conduct foreign policy, Mr. President. When you find yourself in a hole, stop digging.

Sheesh. (h/t: Ace, Malkin)

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