excerpts.

When a reported 90% of the West Coast's ports are managed by foreign companies and the jobs at these ports are all American jobs (no foreign nationals), it strikes me as overtly polticial and, yes, racist for Nancy Pelosi, Charles Schumer, and now, Joesep Biden, to talk about how a sale to the Arab Dubai Ports World (owned by Dubai, UAE) of a British port management company would effect national security.

Questions here include:

• Why isn't the objection to having non-US companies running the management of US ports in a "post 9/11 world"?
• What exactly do they think's going to happen? Will there suddenly be Arab nationals replacing American security workers at the ports? Are there British workers there, now?
• Why're the Democrats scare mongering?
• Why're these people racially profiling? I thought Democrats, of all people, just hated that?

I'll be the first to say that it's beneficial to have a public discussion of interactions with Arab countries and about Arabs (and the implied Muslims) in America, but if this is the way the Democrats choose to sidle up to the issue, it's sadly disingenuous (ie, they've no desire to actually talk about it) and pointless (ie, they've no desire to actually block it). If this is the way the issue's going to be brought up in public because there are prominent Democrats and some Republicans that are isolationists and racists, then that's further a sad commentary on how they view the US. Taking clues from these talking heads, not only will our domestic reactionaries take a clue, but anti-Americans in other countries will as well. It further proves to them that Americans are are anti-Arab racists. Do I think we're that way? No (even though Morgan Spurlock's contrivied "30 Days" on-the-street interviews sure do make us out to be), but I do think that politicians really, really push our image that way for their own short-term gains. The fact that potential Democratic presidential nominees come out and say things like this, that a west-coast Senator can say this when her coasts are managed by Chinese companies, and various Republicans can be just as politically tone deaf as shrieking Democrats.

More questions:

• Is wrapping a much needed discussion on US port security in a crunchy racially-directive invective good eating for the American public?
• How do liberal politicians back out of a stance that puts them in a pro-racialprofiling, potential anti-american job corner? Unions, who work at these ports, must love that they're with Bush on this potential veto of his, and against Democrats who want to scuttle, via legislation, their paychecks.

"And 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 [sic] company. I'm trying to conduct foreign policy now by saying to people of the world, we'll treat you fairly. And after careful scrutiny, we believe this deal is a legitimate deal that will not jeopardize the security of the country, and at the same time, send that signal that we're willing to treat people fairly." President George Bush, 02/21/2006

The other bidder in the purchase of the British P&O (Peninsular & Oriental Steam Navigation Company) was a Singapore company (PSA International). That'd probably go right under the racist radar.

U.S.-based private intelligence firm Stratfor noted that "the government of the UAE is about as pro-American as you can get" in the region. "If the United States can't do business with the UAE, then the United States cannot do business anywhere in the Islamic world," it said.

Stratfor also said "a British company previously was managing the (American) ports, and there are plenty of jihadists traveling on British passports these days who are at least as dangerous as anyone in the UAE."
- Seattle Times/AP

Duh. Sexing it up for the political midterm elections of 2006 is detrimental to trust domestically and abroad.

Arab investors who pulled their capital out of the United States after the Sept. 11 attacks — fearing asset seizures under the Patriot Act — want to reinvest, Alani [Mustafa Alani, a security analyst with the Dubai-based Gulf Research Center] said. But anti-Arab sentiment in Congress will push those funds to friendlier markets in Asia and Europe.

"This is a major long-term investment," Alani said. "If it's going to be undermined for unjustified reasons, that will tell Arab investors and governments to keep away from the United States."