Bush has no one but himself to blame for the Dubai Ports debacle.

[Skinner]

And I'm loving every minute of it. Ah, sweet, sweet Schadenfreude.

I'm not a believer in karma, but it does give me a great deal of glee when some asshole finally reaps what he has sown. This brouhaha over Dubai Ports World is Bush's accountability moment; much to his chagrin, he has learned that he cannot control the beast that he himself worked so hard to create.

Over the last four and a half years, George W. Bush has propped up his morally and intellectually bankrupt presidency on an edifice of half-truths, distortions, lies, division, and most of all fear. Almost everything this administration has done has been justified by fear. The Iraq war was necessary, they told us, because they didn't want "the smoking gun to be a mushroom cloud." Their rhetoric deliberately blurred the line; seeming to tie Iraq to 9/11 to capitalize on the ignorance of many terrified Americans who reflexively saw all Arabs as the same. Why did we attack Iraq? Why, because they attacked us first! they replied. (Never mind that Iraq didn't attack us first. Someone Arab attacked us, so it's true enough.) Bush's 2004 campaign was simply a rehash of the script they used in their march to war: Vote for me, or else the crazy brown people are going to kill you all.

So is it any wonder that the American people pooped in their collective pants when they learned that Bush was going to hand our ports over to a company owned by the very people who we've been fighting against these last four years?

That's why the Bush administration's pathetic spin painting opponents of the ports deal as racists was just plain laughable. Not because it was false; it wasn't false -- at least not completely so. Many people who opposed this deal did so for legitimate national security reasons. But there were plenty of other people who were simply terrified by the idea of Arabs controlling our ports. That's racism. But it's the exact same racism that the Bush administration has been fanning for years for their own purposes. It's contemptible to see them cry "racism" when the beast they created finally returned to bite them in the ass.

So now they're telling us that the demise of this deal is going to cause grave harm to the image of our nation among Arabs in the Middle East. Which is an equally ludicrous argument coming from this administration. If they genuinely gave a shit about the image of our country in the Middle East or around the world, they wouldn't have wasted the last four and a half years squandering our country's moral capital and pissing everyone off. Iraq. Abu Ghraib. Gitmo. You name it.

Was this port deal actually a threat to the security of our country? I don't know for sure -- I'm just a regular schmuck with a website. But watching this this deal go down in flames has been pure pleasure for me. This political defeat has been four years in the making. Bush earned this one.

[BlacknBlue in Red NC]

1. Well said. n/t

[LynneSin]

2. I think Bush will have the last laugh when Halliburton buys out the ports

Seriously, if Halliburton buys those ports then this whole thing was a setup from the get-go in order to give more money to Halliburton even though port security will continue to suck. Almost makes me wish that UAE tookover

[Skinner]

5. If I were Bush...

...I would be praying to God that Halliburton didn't get the ports. Because if they do, this thing is going to get even uglier for his administration.

[LynneSin]

18. Who else in the United States can afford to buy those ports

[Coexist]

33. the ports can't be "bought" they belong to the states they are in

they can be managed by two large firms here:
this is my post from another thread:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...

Why - when there are not ONE but TWO American companies that DO THIS PROFESSIONALLY already.

http://www.asiterminals.com / - based in New Jersey - East Coast

http://www.ssamarine.com/company/history.html - based in Washington State - West Coast

See - we have the entire country covered without that effing company.


For crying out loud, these people don't even CARE to even PRETEND to hide their cronyism anymore.

Well, maybe this is a good thing - tie the name Halliburton to Dubai and the UAE - the American people apparently don't like the UAE, so lets hope this hits Joe and Jane America the wrong way.


... someone responded that one of these is anti-union - I don't know enough about this to be sure.

[ContraBass Black]

31. I'm expecting more of the same under a different name.

And I won't be at all surprised if they get away with it again.

Bush has been "toast" fifty times already. He's still in office, and we're still on the short road to earthly Hell.

I picked up the Washington Post this morning, and it said, "Republicans Kill Ports Deal." All of this is just the thing to distance them from Bush and make them look heroic in time for midterms. Meanwhile, the strong words and strong moves of Democrats are just more spitting in the wind.

It's like they've got super-glue fingers and teflon backs. Money sticks to them, charges don't. Next thing you know, they'll sell the ports to Jeb, and the outraged cry from the populace will be, "Remember the Almighty Clenis!"

[Minnesota Libra]

34. Skinner, I hope you are right - I would like nothing more.......

....than to see this entire administration be personally and politically destroyed beyond any redemption in the history books.

[KittyWampus]

42. Especially if lack ofPort Security is implicated in any terrorist incident

[EVDebs]

49. Incompetence is supposed to be a 'ploy' in their Art of War administration

Sun Tzu and the Art of Spying
by Noah Leavitt, AlterNet. Posted January 5, 2006
http://www.alternet.org/rights/30394 /

Embedded in this article is further insight on Sun Tzu's thinking on warfare which the Bush administration appears to be taking too far,

""Deception must be ongoing, and unpredictable: "Even though you are competent, appear to be incompetent. Though effective, appear to be ineffective.""

The incompetence and ineffectiveness of this administration is breathtaking. They REALLY are winning. The incompetence and ineffectiveness just gets better and better each and every day. I can hardly stand it. Truly in their puzzle palace of mirrors they have made Black equal White and 2 + 2 = Whatever.

They have taken Stalin and Churchill's admonishion about truth, 'In wartime, truth is so precious that she should always be attended by a bodyguard of lies', to the extreme.

http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Joseph_Stalin (also attributed to Churchill, who probably stole it from...!)

They are making the entire American populace akin to Henry David Thoreau, who said
""Under a government which imprisons any unjustly, the true place for a just man is also a prison""

[Inland]

17. It's a question of which politically connected firm gets the crony

contract. Bush's first choice, his gulf state buds, didn't pan out, but there's still a quid to give to a domestic supporter's quo.

[Orangepeel]

28. If they wanted the ports sold to Halliburton, would they need a setup?

seriously, they wouldn't have been able to pressure the British company to sell to Halliburton in some way that didn't make bush look bad?

I don't believe it. Now, Halliburton may end up with control, but if so, it is the administration trying to make lemonade. Bush hurt his image as "protector in chief" with this debacle -- it hurt what could be considered his biggest image asset polling wise (national security) with what is most believable as a weakness -- his administration is in it for the money.

[INdemo]

57. Read the fine print

the UAE is not selling the ports to anyone.They are transferring operations to a U S company. So this could at this point anyway,mean that the UAE still has control Right?Also in the fine print is the fact that the UAE will not lose money on the deal. So we could perhaps look forward to the Bush administration subsidizing this deal ??? So yes you are correct....
This has Halliburton written all over it with C H E N E Y as the new company name

[tularetom]

3. Me too - but the vibes I'm getting from my tin foil hat tells me

it was all just a b ig ploy to give the ports management to the "H" word - Halliburton, while giving repubs legislators, nervous about bush, a point on which they could safely oppose him and look independent. Are we any better off with the big H running the ports than we would have been with the UAE? I dunno, but given how bad they've effed up in Iraq, I don't think so. Hopefully I'm all wet and this is just another example of bushco incompetence.

[jane_pippin]

4. Yep. They "messaged" themselves right into failure.

That's what struck me as amusing. That an administration so focused on spin, being on message and conjuring up half-truths and innuendo to further their agenda could possibly be surprised when people had a negative reaction to this deal. How could they expect anything else after all they fed people for years?

I guess they thought nobody would notice and if anybody did, well they'd just trust Unka George.

[seemslikeadream]

6. He thought he could fool a whole population

They tried to fool the black population
By telling us jah jah dead
Say they tried to fool the black population
By telling us jah jah dead..
I & I knows jah - jah nuh dead - jah nuh dead

Jah nuh dead
Jah nuh dead
Jah nuh dead
Jah nuh dead

Oooh nooo - jah nuh dead

My knowledge increase
My memory reflect
Marcus Garvey did say

A rumour rumour rumour rumour rumour
Aah Marcus say

Jah nuh dead
Jah nuh dead
Jah nuh dead
Jah nuh dead
Jah nuh dead
Oooh nooo - jah nuh dead

It was I-man who say
I it's Green and gold, it's the rainbow

The lion the lion decrowned the king
The lion the lion decrowned the king
Inna in adis abeba - aaafrica

Jah nuh dead
Jah nuh dead
Jah nuh dead
Jah nuh dead
Jah nuh dead
Oooh nooo - jah nuh dead

Meet me at the bank of the beautiful river
When your journey has end
I & I will discuss about this matter
Jah nuh dead, jah nuh dead, jah nuh dead

Winston Rodney

[mtnester]

7. Takes "The Boy Who Cried Wolf" to a whole new level

I agree Skinner, for YEARS he has propped up his pResidency with his own government sanctioned racism, based on the back of fear of the "brown people."

The WORST part of this is that he is surprised about the blowback, or even worse, never saw it coming.

Yes, simple pleasures are sometimes the best.

[rocktivity]

8. No fair, Skinner--Bush and Rumsfeld said they knew nothing about the deal!

Of course, that makes them look that much DUMBER, but that's besides the point!


rocknation

[ixion]

9. indeed... the old proverb: "Be careful what you wish for,

you might actually get it." Certainly comes to mind on this one.

Had * not created the shadow of terror to hide behind, people probably wouldn't have thought twice about this. But since they've had it drilled into their heads that "Everyting changed", it comes as no suprise.

The downside to this, of course, is that it shows that we're only a step or two from walling ourselves off from the rest of the world in a delusional attempt to bring back the good ol days.

[ClayZ]

10. Squirm bu$h, squirm!

[SoFlaJet]

11. Excellent post Skinner

these two parts especially-THEY created the monster that came back to bite them on their own asses- and the second part;Me? I'm one of those guys that NEVER believed Bin Laden or any of his operatives had anything to do with 9/11 anyway-I still to this day (and even before it ever happened PREDICTED as much)think it was an inside job-same as the JFK coup.That's just me though...


But there were plenty of other people who were simply terrified by the idea of Arabs controlling our ports. That's racism. But it's the exact same racism that the Bush administration has been fanning for years for their own purposes. It's contemptible to see them cry "racism" when the beast they created finally returned to bite them in the ass.


Was this port deal actually a threat to the security of our country? I don't know for sure -- I'm just a regular schmuck with a website. But watching this this deal go down in flames has been pure pleasure for me. This political defeat has been four years in the making. Bush earned this one.

[mzmolly]

12. Exactly. Without their drumming the "arabs are bad" beat

"real merikunz" would not have supported the murder of innocent people in Iraq.

Pardon me, but I'd rather offend a Bush business partner, than kill people who had nothing to do with harming Americans in the past/present/future.

[Walt Starr]

13. I don't think the debacle is over yet, either

I think arrogance is going to get in the way and all the crap that was pulled yesterday will mean is an attempt to cover up the deal going through pretty much as planned with Halliburton playing the front organization to give cover to teh deal going to the UAE any way.

Teh beauty is, I don't think they realize that they'll be watched carefully and it will be reported.

[magellan]

36. Spot on

Junior isn't known for settling when he doesn't get what he wants. He'll have this deal by hook or by crook, regardless of what We the People think. We must watch for the formation of shell companies leading straight back to the UAE through the likes of Halliburton and Carlyle.

Aside: Bush** is very good at telling us what we think by suppressing any voice except that of his supporters, isn't he? e.g. on this issue he tells us "There's no legitimate concern with letting DPW run our ports, Americans are just racist." The truth is there are legitimate concerns; it's Bush**'s supporters who are racist, and he's fanned those flames from the beginning.

BushCo have utilized subversive message control many times in the past and it has effectively isolated the majority each time. It's designed to give everyone the impression that if they don't agree with Bush** then they're in the minority, and fear of seeming "un-American" keeps them silent or bends them to BushCo's desire. I'm hopeful that being labeled racist across the board will help Americans to wake up to this intentional manipulation.

[mdmc]

51. kick

I agree.

[stop the bleeding]

14. I love this line....

It's contemptible to see them cry "racism" when the beast they created finally returned to bite them in the ass.



Well said....

[Inland]

15. Because he built his security "persona" on telling world to piss off

He exaggerated the threats as a vast worldwide conspiracy so that the only person we could trust with our security was someone who would never take his foot off the gas, never wring his hands over a few tens of thousands civilians, someone who would never trust anyone but himself. Not congress, not the UN, not "allies".

Then all of the sudden, the nation finds out he's undertaken to a trust a gulf emirate with the keys to the front door, a gulf emirate that had some connection to 9/11 and some relationship with the the Taliban, and when found out, Bush defends the it as necessary to create warm fuzzy with the "arab world".

The guy who was voted in because he would never take his foot off the pedal becomes a parody of Kerry's diplomatic approach, in a sort of scenario that seems like a skit made up to lampoon softheaded liberals. Screw Bush for being stupidly militaristic and then stupidly diplomatic.

[MazeRat7]

16. Yes, its very pleasurable....

Because they spent the last 4+ years whipping this country into a state of fear, there is no way he could win with this deal... but that is the beauty, he thinks he is king and "can" have his way. I tend to believe the fear of having port operations controlled by DP World is a bit overstated, but that is my personal opinion. At the end of the day it doesn't matter, he scuttled this ship of "moral capitol" when we invaded Iraq and this is (again in my opinion) the first of many retributions for that and so many other actions.

Somehow I think they forgot about the age old premise of "Cause and Effect"....

Good post, well said,

thanks,

MZr7

[wakemeupwhenitsover]

19. I am absolutely panting that they

give this deal to Haliburton. Please god, let it be so.

[C_U_L8R]

20. This "deal" should never have happened in the first place

what was Bush thinking??

oh right.... why would he be thinking.
what a pathetic president he is.

[ChiciB1]

21. He Started The "Fear Mongering" But Didn't I Just Hear That

Halliburten is going to get the Dubai Deal??

So how does HE LOSE???

[harpo]

22. I am enjoying it as well...but don't get too cozy...

You know they will be trying to pull something else in the next few days to make up for this appearance of a dem win.

[Jacobin]

23. Would make a GREAT LTTE

I hope you submit it.



Perfectly said

[Strawman]

24. Bush lost, but the truth is that the xenophobes carried the day

I wish I could believe that the American people rejected this on security grounds. I can't. They haven't given a damn about inadequate port security for the past five years and Dems have tried pointing out that it sucked over and over. Nothing. What was missing in all those sober assessments of port security and ABC News' smuggling of uranium through the ports were caricatures of sinister Arabs. That's what connected. So Bush lost, and he deserved to lose on this issue. But I can't help but think that he lost for all the wrong reasons. It makes me sick about this country and it makes me wonder where this wave of xenophobia is going to lead American politics next. I know it all seems harmless enough for Dems to ride the wave, and there's some measure of justice in the irony of how it bit Bush in the ass, but the whole thing just doesn't make me feel very good. I don't think the ends make me feel ok with the means.

[sutz12]

25. This might have gone through on the merits....

if it hadn't of popped out of the blue like it did. If the negotiations had been transparent and the news media had reported on it, they would have had time to direct the spin. Their own secresy blew them out of the water.

Funny how * claims he never reads newspapers, but that is where he claimed to first hear of the deal.

[kentuck]

26. Yes, and many of their talk show comrades turned against them also...

and they cannot blame the Democrats because they control the White House, the House and the Senate. They control everything so they have to accept responsibility however this turns out.

And if Bush had not come out and open his big mouth and threaten veto if it didn't go thru, then they might have been able to work thru it. But he thought the Congress would rubberstamp whatever he wanted once again. He seemed to overlook the fact that they must run for re-election in November and he doesn't...

[TahitiNut]

27. While I share the Schadenfreude, I'm concerned about the framing ...

... of the issues inherent in this deal. Dubai Ports World is not your grandfather's corporation. It is not some Mom and Pop corporation or even some publicly owned (and regulated) corporation. It is the functional equivalent of an international military force - a projection of power from a monarchical regime. The faux facade of a corporation as a business entity under the regulatory control of a government is being abandoned and the global corporation as the core projection of force (coercion by entitlement and privilege) is made even more baldly evident.

What's the difference between invading and occupying another country's shipping ports and strategic infrastructure with one's military and invading and occupying it under the guise of entitlements?? Entitlements can only exist when backed by the coercive force of government! That coercive force is composed of laws, police, and military force. Thus, it's what we call a distinction without a difference.

Let's try to remember that we have the conservative mythology of opposition to nationalized industries. Under the guise of 'privatization,' ownership-addicted corporatists have waged a many-decades long jihad against "do it yourself" democracies - self-service government. Instead, the obsession with profit-from-human-misery has "outsourced" the core functions of government, from military functions to energy policy implementation to education to health care to social welfare.

But Dubai Ports World is the epitome of a nationalized industry - with the major exception that the 'nation' is about as far from being populist and egalitarian as one can imagine. Thus, we see the continued antipathy to Venezuela's nationalized oil industry, which serves to offer more equitable benefits to ALL the people of that nation, alongside the allegiance to an industry 'nationalized' under monarchical control.


On edit: Let's be clear. The Bushoilini Reich is all about the narrow and private control of global enterprise and nothing at all about democracy or egalitarian justice. Whomever controls global energy resources controls the projection of military force wholly dependent on massive amounts of energy to fuel the machines of war and controls all other industries dependent upon the extraction, shipping, and processing of all other natural resources such as aluminum, steel, and even food. Petrochemicals are the keystone of global energy. The Bushoilini Reich is indistinguishable from the narrow elite interests (whether totalitarian or monarchical like the House of Saud) increasingly narrowing the control and ownership of oil reserves, including extraction, refining, and distribution (shipping and pipelines). The Bushoilini Reich has no allegiance to anything but global corporatism - not 'America' or 'democracy' or anything else - just power.

[savemefromdumbya]

29. Like a stake through the heart of his 'homeland security vote'

a big reason why they voted for W is they thought he was great on protecting us from the great bogeyman - the terrorist. The war of terror was to go on and on unchecked with more violation of human rights. However, somehow a wheel has come off the chariot.

[Maddy McCall]

30. I agree...and I think it's going to get worse for him...

because this is going to move from him "enabling the Ay-rabs" to him padding his buddies' pockets, when Haliburton ends up with the ports.

[Autonomy]

32. To use a seemingly apples and oranges comparison...

Bush squandered more political capital from this deal than Halliburton is receiving in no-bid contracts from it.

Bush lost more of his base, and worse, he put the Democrats in the position of seeming strong on defense in an election year. Bush didn't "take one for the team", either. If Bush looks soft on terrorism, NO Republican benefits. The united front against the twin evils of Islamism and liberalism that was their selling point. Now the Repubs are divided, and that benefits the Democrats.

But perhaps the most telling fact is that Republican disarray hurts Al Qaeda's interests. Whether or not UAE companies are in bed with Al Qaeda or not, the focus on ports' security strengthens the country's interests. We've hit a point on the utility curve where the more Bush displays his incompetence, the better for our national security.

[InvisibleTouch]

35. Someone please update me...

I think we can safely say that anything Dubya wants, we don't want, so in that sense it's a good thing. But my understanding is that the deal was scuttled more by the Chimp's fellow rethugs than by the Dems? I haven't followed it closely, so someone please confirm or correct me. If this is true, I can say that I'll take a victory anywhere I can get it, but I still have to wonder where our guys were during all this. I've gotten some mailing list e-mails from various Dems on the matter, but I wonder which side really lead the charge?

[Sensitivity]

37. Well said, Sir. I am among those who think the pleasure was

prematurely and abruptly ended. As one of many knowledgeable regarding global supply chain security, I never thought their was any harm in letting the Repuke squirm in their contradictions.

[European Socialist]

38. He got kicked in the ass by his own phony bogeyman.

[REACTIVATED IN CT]

39. This cartoon said it all to me !!!

http://cartoonbox.slate.com/hottopic/?image=7&topicid=7...


http://content.todayscartoons.uclick.com/?feature=b29f7...

edited to try to post actual image

[Sensitivity]

40. Great one!

[rocktivity]

43. Let me take a whack at it.

No, this is as close as I can get.


rocknation

[katinmn]

53. Excellent toon. Spot on.

[High Plains]

41. Bush "cannot control the beast he himself worked to create"

Does it serve us to feed the beast?

This issue may be good politics in that it is harming Bush, but I have to wonder just what we gain by stoking the fires of know-nothingism, nativism, and xenophobia.

edit: for typo

[kpete]

44. Total Agreement

And from one "regular Schmuck" to another---I love your website!

[Disturbed]

45. Haliburton?

This corupt Corp. got the no bid contract for Iraq and New Orleans. Look at that mess! If they get this ports deal the American people will be pissed off and force Congress to cancel that. The name Haliburton is linked to the word coruption and Cheney. Yeah, I hope they do turn this over to Haliburton.

[New Government]

46. Amen.

I think it WAS a threat to security and I believe with all I have it was about the Bush family and money. Plain and simple. An inside deal gone awry.

[OneTwentyoNine]

47. HEY!!! You'll all be sorry when the Chinese quit selling crap to Walmart!!

Basically what Bush is trying to foist off on Murikans. Stick another fork in this one Chimp,its over!

[malaise]

48. Karma is a bitch

Great article.

[Hidden Stillness]

50. An Incident That Had the Lesson All Wrapped Up in It

It is a total mystery why one thing will catch the people's imagination and ignite an angry response, and any number of other incidents of the same type will not. Why did Rosa Parks not standing up and moving to the back of the bus lead to such a fed-up response, a year-long-plus boycott, and real change, and other incidents just pass by forgotten? This is why "framimg" and other things of this type don't work; because the real reasons why people will react to an incident are a total mystery.

Of all the horrible, anti-Constitutional things these Republican neocons have done, over and over they have been ignored. Recently, the domestic spying on Americans scandal might have been a real turning point, as people were outraged, but official Democrats screwed that one up and lost the chance. The Social Security attempted-murder, and the "Medicare" corporate prescription drug disaster revolt were both conducted by the American people first, and Democrats jumped on later.

Now, finally, it is as if these events are telling the American people--warning signs like never before--what these people are and what they are doing. They are actually killing abortion rights we thought we had won 30 years ago; they do not care what the Congress, Courts, or anybody else thinks. They really are only concerned with a quid pro quo arrangement between corporations; this is all Government is anymore. Some things seem to have the lesson all summed up in them, and don't even need further explanation or convincing. These people only care about moving capital and corporate/commercial arrangements, they do not even care about "the country" or "citizens." This incident, finally, told it.

[Marie26]

52. In some weird way,

I think it was because of Cheney's shooting incident. If that hadn't happened, this could've flown under the radar. After 9/11, the Bush Ad. brainwashed Americans into thinking that they could keep us safe. People didn't care about NSA spying or the Patriot Act cause that's all done in the name of "national security." But after Cheney shot someone, people started thinking "Wow, these guys are pretty dangerous & reckless w/other people's safety. Why are they so secretive about this?" They start doubting & watching for other evidence - and bam, one week later, Bush secretly sells all our ports to the UAE. This confirmed people's worst fears about this Administration & opened the floodgates. This crew would be just as reckless w/our own safety as they were w/Mr. Whittington - Americans' safety doesn't matter to them. The scandals sort of resonate together.

[katinmn]

54. Yes! Now everyone sees what we've known all along.

Bush has been using America like it's his personal playground.

[The Taxman]

55. I must be out of touch. It's taken over 5 years for me to agree

with Bush on something and no one else (not even his own party) does.

[NashVegas]

56. As Enjoyable As This Has Been to Watch

And it has been indeed great fun, it reminds me of how much further we have to go.

Little Georgie has this in common with Paul Atreides: the movement he siezed on to claim power is larger than he is. This bull isn't going down that easily, it needs a few more stakes in the spinal column.

George is not the movement, he is its figurehead. They're looking for a new one, already. I don't know yet if they realized they've been played.

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

58. Agreed. To have shrub cry "racism" is the ultimate "it is to laugh" moment

when cultivating racism against Arabs abroad and African Americans at home has been such an important, even CRITICAL tool throughout his cursed presidency.

[liveoaktx]

59. I also enjoy seeing Bush get called a failure on tv, but I believe

there are machinations going on behind the scenes. I also believe that despite what Bush says about polls, he deeply cares about his popularity and how he will be viewed by history, so he is no doubt desperately seeking a way to spin this so he can be compared to some other president in whose shadow he now cowers.

[mdmc]

60. kick

[Major Hogwash]

61. I agree and I believe in karma because there is no way that this crap can

continue without having an adverse affect on the entire country!!

And thus, on the rest of the entire world.