Conservative Columnists Rip Dubya Over Port Deal

Editor and Publisher
Feb. 23, 2006

NEW YORK President Bush's plan to have a United Arab Emirates company operate six major U.S. ports has drawn strong early criticism from conservative columnists. In fact, commentators on the right haven't seemed this annoyed at Bush since his ill-fated nomination of Harriet Miers to the Supreme Court.

Cal Thomas of Tribune Media Services (TMS) said in his column: "There have been some dumb decisions since the United States was attacked on Sept. 11, 2001. ... But the decision to sell port operations in New York, Newark-Port Elizabeth, Baltimore, Miami, Philadelphia, and New Orleans to a company owned by the UAE may be the dumbest of all. ... Apparently money talked more than common sense."

The UAE, wrote Thomas, was "used as a financial and operational base by some of the 9/11 hijackers," was "an important transfer point for shipments of smuggled nuclear components bound for Iran, North Korea, and Libya," and was "one of only three countries to recognize the Taliban as Afghanistan's legitimate government before the U.S. invasion toppled it."

Kathleen Parker of the Orlando (Fla.) Sentinel and TMS said the "final throes of Bush's journey toward self-destruction may have found expression" in the port deal.

She added that "it bears repeating that not all Muslims are burning flags, embassies, and effigies in protest of a few drawings of the Prophet Muhammad. But just as clearly, Americans are in no mood to enhance the chances that some of these jihad-minded fellows might find easier access to our cities once ports already considered vulnerable are in foreign hands."

Tongue planted firmly in cheek, Parker also wrote: "Perhaps the president was merely seeking a novel way to bridge our divided nation. For the first time in a long while, Democrats and Republicans ... are united, this time in opposition to the sale of our ports to a foreign entity."

Michelle Malkin of Creators Syndicate called the port decision "boneheaded," and added: "I stand with critics on both sides of the aisle who want to stop the secretive deal transferring operations of our ports to the UAE -- a Middle Eastern government with a spotty record of fighting terrorist plots and terrorist financing. ... From every angle -- political, safety, and sovereignty-wise -- Dubai Ports World's business transaction ... looks bad and smells worse."

Malkin did strongly criticize Democrats who opposed "nationality profiling" in the past for supporting it in this instance.

Another Creators columnist, Joseph Farah, wrote: "I don't know what's crazier and more politically inept -- the original decision to contract the management of six major U.S. ports ... or the White House's continued defense of the idea in the face of overwhelming criticism. You tell me: Is Bush tone deaf or brain dead?"

He added: "It's insanity. It's political correctness gone mad. Only a suicidal nation, or one that has lost touch with reality, would take such an irresponsible step. ... Even those who would, under other circumstances, say it is 'ethnic profiling' to disallow an Arab company from guarding and administering our ports are ready to ride the wave of popular opinion on this one. And this American of Arabic ancestry is joining them."