NYT: Doubts Back Home Fuel G.O.P. Worries Over Ports Deal

[sabra]

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/02/politics/02port.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

Doubts Back Home Fuel G.O.P. Worries Over Ports Deal

WASHINGTON, March 1 — Senator Jon Kyl, a staunch supporter of President Bush who faces a potentially difficult re-election fight this year, is hearing a lot from constituents in Arizona about the plan to allow a Dubai company to operate shipping terminals at Eastern ports. Most think the deal should be stopped.

"It is almost all critical to dubious," Mr. Kyl said, referring to public opinion at home. "If I have to disagree with the Bush administration, I will."

The port deal has exploded out of nowhere to become a major bone of contention in an election year that had not lacked driving issues.

It is not clear what kind of staying power the deal has as an issue, but for now Republicans have little choice but to acknowledge the objections they are hearing from voters, distancing themselves from Mr. Bush on national security heading toward the midterm elections.

[ShockediSay]

1. I still think this was a KRove set-up for Repugs to show

THEY are not part of the bushCo Repug agenda

so they can get themselves re-elected

[wookie294]

2. Bush has scared America so much that it's backfiring on him

Bush can't constantly yell "BOO!" about Arabs and then expect the American people to support economic ties to Arab royal families that have dined with Osama bin Laden. Americans need to understand that, for Bush, global corporate profits trump the safety of Americans. The ports deal is just another example proving this reality.

[sofa king]

5. Yep, in the mush-mind of middle America, it's still Saddam bin Laden

The Bush Administration went to such great pains to confuse two individual Arabs so they could have their splendid little war. What they apparently didn't expect was that their campaign would be so successful that now their constituents think that all Arabs are bad.

The Republicans are squirming in their own excrement now.

[magellan]

3. What are Repugs who aren't up for re-election saying?

Just curious.

[rodeodance]

4. gee, a politician who might just have to listen to his constituents! vs

following Bush!--my my, what a concept!