Port Update

From Gary Bauer's End Of Day Report 2/22/06:

"Port Update"

"First, I need to make a clarification. Several of our astute recipients of
this daily report have correctly pointed out that it is inaccurate to
suggest that the U.S. has agreed to allow an Arab company to “buy” six of
our ports. I apologize for the imprecise wording.

What is in contention here is whether it is appropriate for a company
controlled by the government of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to run the
port operations at those six U.S. ports. Previously, a private British
company was performing those services and they have now been bought by the
UAE government-controlled company.

The Bush Administration strongly defended its decision yesterday with the
president actually threatening to issue his first veto if the Congress acts
to block the deal. My sense is that he may have to use that veto because
virtually the entire Republican leadership has come out in opposition or is
demanding that there be a more thorough investigation. That sounds
reasonable to me.

Washington, D.C.’s conservative newspaper, the Washington Times, ran a
story this morning quoting unnamed security officials in the U.S.
government who oppose the deal. Here is a key excerpt:

“Allowing a Middle Eastern company to manage key ports ‘would be like
putting the fox in charge of the henhouse,’ said one security official,
who, like most other critics, spoke on the condition of anonymity.

“Another official said the problem is not the company but its location in a
region rife with Islamic terrorism.

‘You have to be concerned about a firm from that part of the world managing
the ports,’ this official said. ‘They are more vulnerable to compromise and
penetration by terrorists, even if they are just managing the port.’

“Company officials would be briefed on security procedures and
countermeasures that, if compromised, could allow foreign terrorists to get
through various screening procedures, the official said.

“The Coast Guard is responsible for port security, tracking ships, crews
and cargo and search vessels based on intelligence. There is no cohesive
hiring or screening process for port workers, however.”

There are reports today that neither General Pace, chairman of the Joint
Chiefs of Staff, Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld nor President Bush were
aware of this deal until after it had been approved.

What troubles me most about this mess is whether the president is getting
all the information he needs to avoid unnecessary controversy. How could
the White House be surprised by the furor caused by the announcement? If
there are factors we don’t know about, why weren’t key supporters of the
administration briefed ahead of time so they could make the case? Why is
the president now in a position of risking a showdown with his own party on
an issue of national security?




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