Burning Allies -- and Ourselves (Rove Called Dubai telling them its over)

[ECH1969]

Washington Post: David Ignatius

It was Karl Rove who conveyed the bad news. President Bush's political adviser called a top manager of Dubai Ports World on Thursday and said the White House couldn't hold out any longer against congressional pressure to kill the Arab company's plan to acquire freight terminals at six U.S. ports. The initial response of one Dubai executive was: "Who's Karl Rove?" But in the end, political leaders here recognized that it was time to fold a losing hand.

Until Rove's call, Dubai's business leaders had insisted they would fight on. The chairman of Dubai Ports World, Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, told me emphatically on Wednesday that his company would do whatever was necessary to convince Congress that the deal posed no security risk -- new investment, additional equipment, more scanning of cargo, special checks of UAE personnel, including himself. But that was before the House Appropriations Committee voted 62 to 2 to kill the deal.

I suspect America will pay a steep price for Congress's rejection of this deal. It sent a message that for all the U.S. rhetoric about free trade and partnerships with allies, America is basically hostile to Arab investment. And it shouldn't be surprising if Arab investors respond in kind. One could blame it all on craven members of Congress, if the opinion polls didn't show that Americans are overwhelmingly against the deal -- and suspicious of Muslims in general. Those poll numbers tell us that America hasn't gotten over Sept. 11, 2001. If anything, Iraq has deepened the country's anxiety, introspection and foreboding.

To appreciate how cockeyed America's Dubai-phobia is, you have to spend a little time here, as I did this week. The truth is, this is one of the few places in the Arab world where things have been going in the right direction -- away from terrorism and Islamic fundamentalism and toward an open, modern economy. That's why congressional opposition came as such a surprise here. People in the UAE think they're America's friends.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/20...

[Marie26]

1. It probably would've been safer

w/the UAE than with Halliburton. Oh, well.

[Amonester]

2. And so, the Big Lie has begun (again...)

The Big Lie: 'try' to make every neocon supporter beleive the U.A.E. is not 'running' the ports...

$ure.

[Old and In the Way]

3. Sorry UAE, no sleight intended.

It's not you, it's your partnership with this administration that concerns us. If we could trust Republicans to do proper security of our Ports, maybe the deal could have been done. But this administration needs another 9/11 moment desperately and we just don't want you to be hurt by their motivations to let it happen.

Can we interest you in our National Parks or our InterState Highway system?

[Amonester]

5. Perhaps they should 'clean up' their 'act' first.

Like no more Human Rights violations, to start with.
No more boycott of Israel too.
No more discrimation of women.
No more exploitation of children.

(Yeah... A good Democratic country, like... Well, 'almost' like the U.K.)

Not tomorrow...

What the heck... They'll be running the ports 'undercover' anyway...
Now is that worse, or not?

[shadowknows69]

4. They can be our friends

that's not the issue. UAE be friends of the American people if you want but you might want to deal with different business partners than the weasels who set this up behind our backs.

[Sensitivity]

7. Sorry, the anti-muslim hatred stinks to high heaven. I know many

pro-western Arabs are just revolted at the American attitudes on display.
The whole "we want more investigation" was really a NeoCon cover for
stabbing an Arab friend in the back to rally popular support.

[wordpix2]

6. issue is port security & sorry if some good people in DPW got the shaft

however, inept * should have known about this deal early on and asked a few pointed questions before leaving CFIUS to rubber stamp it. As it was, * "didn't know" in his usual incompetent way.

[Just Me]

8. I don't believe a word in this piece. I believe it's fabricated,...

,...propaganda to remove public attention from the situation so that a shell company or two can be created to hide the Dubai deal. There was too much at stake for BushCO and the neocons on this deal. No way in hell they gave it up.

Moreover, if I hear the xenophobia assertions one more time, I'm going to explode. There were a number of problematic issues attached to this deal not the least of which was a clause pretty much exempting this company from compliance with U.S. laws. Total crap!

[Sensitivity]

9. And where did you hear this -- most can be traced to NeoCon spin mill

[Norquist Nemesis]

11. okay...so, why would they put Karl out there as the key?

Not dissing your opinion. I just wonder why the WH would use Karl Rove as doing the President's job. It would seem to support that he's not just inept, but COMPLETELY incompetent and unwilling to be a big boy when it's called for.

[mdmc]

10. The UAE thinks that they're American's friends

they are... But Bush has been playin the terra card way too long. M$M has played the terra card way too long. The knee jerk reaction to "you are either with us, or you are with the terraist" meant the UAE was not "with us".

If American protesters or teacher union members are "against us" (as opposed to with us in the war vs. terror), most certainly UAE is also "against us".

I am amazed that the m$m was unable to counter the fear and racism that they have instituted since 9-11. They may not be the masters of propaganda that I have often credited them as being.

[Toots]

12. I sure don't understand why Americans would be suspicious of Arab Muslims

Who could have anticipated such a thing?

[The Stranger]

14. To be suspicious of people because they are Arab Muslims

virtually defines bigotry.

And if I could have somehow phrased this post more politely, I would have done so.

[The Stranger]

13. But we can't have them goddamn A-Rabs runnin' no ports!

Nothing (but nothing) has disgusted me more than seeing the feeding frenzy of hate fanned by the media consume the conscience of the nation (and many on these boards) over this issue.

[justicewanted]

15. Guess what? I'm against Halliburton running the ports also.

I am against Halliburton running the ports just as much as I am UAE running them.

I do not trust anyone who is friends with Bush and his gang of thieves and murderers regardless of their race or nationality.

So quit spewing the neocon spin that everyone who is against the deal is racist.

I'm disgusted that we invaded Iraq which was sold based on racism. I'm disgusted that arab americans were rounded up and arrested without reason in america and some are currently still being held without trial. I'm disgusted that we have gulags around the world with arab men, women and children being tortured in Guantanamo, Abu Gharib and who knows where else. I'm disgusted that the neocons have no problem with sending guided missles into populated areas killing large numbers of civilians in the hopes that they might take out some named terrorist. etc....

Oh but wait someone is against one of Bush's oil buddies running our ports. Racist!

[cal04]

16. Karl Rove Told Dubai To Pull The Plug On The Deal

The media has largely bought into that narrative. But according to Weekly Standard editor Bill Kristol, the White House instructed DP World to concede. Appearing yesterday on Fox News, Kristol said Karl Rove canceled the deal with a phone call on the night of March 8:

He made that veto threat then he went on the trip to India and went silent basically. Karl Rove calls the people in Dubai two nights ago and tells them pull the plug on the deal, and I think as a result, the president looks weak, frankly.


http://thinkprogress.org/

[mdmc]

17. thanks for the post and the link