Thu, 23 Feb 2006 20:13:00
After reading about a bajillion opinions…
...I have come to the conclusion that the UAE port deal isn’t the horror it appears on the surface. I literally could not point you to the dozens...maybe close to a hundred links I have read and followed and been led to over the last 48 hours. I have read everything from “fucking ragheads” to well-reasoned defenses of the UAE and Dubai Ports.
What has me angrier than Michael Moore at Weight Watchers is that I had to spend hours and hours reading research that, cumulatively, must add up to more than 500 or more man-hours spent by the various authors and bloggers. After all that, I found myself still asking the very same question I asked the first time I posted about this:
WHY DIDN’T MY DICKHEAD OF A PRESIDENT TELL ME WHY THIS WAS A REASONABLE IDEA?
I will never understand that man’s ability to squander a lead, destroy success and make people who want to like him instead despise his very existence. I cannot imagine what it must be like to be someone who hated him in the first place.
A simple speech, outlining some bullet points about what the UAE has done for us, what they risk and why they have some connections that make us nervous would have been like sand to a fire. Instead, Bush, as per usual, throws gas on the sonofabitch and just watches it burn.
Why? And why isn’t Cheney, who can communicate his ass off when he wants to, why isn’t Big Dick pimp-slapping George until he gets the damned message...TALK TO THE PEOPLE.
Reagan knew how to make you understand, even if you disagreed. Clinton specialized in charming your ass, and your pants, right off you. He knows how to talk. Bill could sell any damn thing, and he knew the value of looking into the camera and saying *something*.
Bush’s lack of oratory skill is no excuse. Send someone else out who *can* talk if you don’t like the whole speech thing. WE NEED TO KNOW WHY YOU DO THINGS, MR. PRESIDENT. Just keep us in the loop. Every time you do, people respond favorably. Every time you don’t, people resent you and disagree with your ideas.
I had to do an awful lot of reading to figure out the specifics of this port deal. Doesn’t seem like I should have to do that...seems to me like the Prez should have gotten in front of his podium, made a speech and then said that full details were available at whitehouse.gov, where of course there should have been miles of documentation on the vetting process, what Dubai Ports can and will be allowed to do, who runs what, etc.
Does that seem reasonable to you? If you currently oppose the ports deal, are you open to being swayed by valid arguments? Would you appreciate your President making those arguments the way I described?
I know I would.
Posted by JimK at 08:13 PM on February 23, 2006
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Categories: News, Politics, The Federal Government
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Comments:
#2 Posted by JimK 
on 02/24 at 11:37 AM -
It’s about time. There are legitimate concerns, and if he can answer everyone’s questions, he should.
#3 Posted by starboard on 02/24 at 01:30 PM -
Seeing that I live less then 10 miles from the port of Baltimore and a stones throw from interstate 95 and the fact that I share the bay leading into the port with tankers and cargo carriers, yes I would have liked a little more info. After all the wining and bitching is over with we may find this to be a good deal for Uncle Sam. The UAE will be a fine place to launch military operations from.
#4 Posted by Sean Galbraith 
on 02/25 at 12:07 PM -
“I cannot imagine what it must be like to be someone who hated him in the first place.”
We mostly just laugh at him as we always did, and quietly think “we kinda told you so”. :-)
“Does that seem reasonable to you?”
Of course. But that would strike directly at the heart of Bush’s biggest overall plan: To eliminate the checks and balances system that the country was founded on. He is answerable to no one, remember? King George doesn’t have to provide “details” or “reasons” or “facts”. He is above the law and certainly above the peons who elected him. The Divine Right of the Presidency must be respected.. or at least obeyed. And besides, Congress has already authorized him to do whatever he wants!
#5 Posted by Drumwaster on 02/25 at 01:37 PM -
But that would strike directly at the heart of Bush’s biggest overall plan: To eliminate the checks and balances system that the country was founded on.
Sean, that’s called “begging the question”. Not only that, it completely ignores all available facts in favor of a motivation that only those suffering from BDS would propose.
Other than that, it is a striking display of why Democrats keep losing elections. Even the Liberals in Canada are starting to lose with nonsense like that. Keep up the great work!
#6 Posted by sindri on 02/25 at 05:37 PM -
I just hope the deal goes thru except in NJ and the U.A.E. comes and gets all of the equipment they just bought. The Governor just called them all terrorists and I’d love to see how he will handle the lost income when the port is shut down. I know, he’ll just raise property taxes and blame George Bush.
The U.A.E. knows who’s their Daddy and they already have access to US warships and they handle the containers before they are shipped to the US and not inspected by us. Why is it we trust them for that but not to unload ships here? If they wanted to hit us why spend $8 Billion plus to do it? Plus, if we keep pissing off the people who have chosen sides and picked US we will end up exactly where the liberals claim we are. They changed after 9/11. I submit that France and Germany did not change after 9/11 and represent more of a threat through their inaction than the U.A.E. does. I’m sure if we keep calling them terrorists they will be happy to throw us out of their ports and care for Chinese warships instead of ours. The money does talk.
Lastly, if the Longshoremen are willing to work for them I’m just fine with it. The Longshoremen are some of THE most Patriotic Americans there are. If they are our “line of defense” I feel 100% secure.
In the words of the immortal Penn & Teller this is all now a steaming pile of political “Bullshit”!
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Jimk,
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/ports_security
He may be makeing a speach after all.
Well someone is going to have to, if the deal will still get done in the US.