CHUCK'S POWER GRAB
NEW YORK POST
Editorial
February 28, 2006
The White House and the Dubai-owned company set to take over terminal operations at six major U.S. ports have bowed to the inevitable: The deal will go on hold while the administration conducts an intensive 45-day review.
That's good news; frankly, the Bush administration should have done it sooner.
Now, however, there's a disturbing development: Congressional Democrats, led by New York's increasingly partisan Sen. Charles Schumer, are demanding veto power over the deal, regardless of what the 45-day review concludes.
Schumer can be good on security issues, when he so chooses.
But he's also chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee — the body charged with regaining control of the Senate for that party.
And that position, sadly, has come to the fore.
Democrats believe they are most vulnerable on national-security issues. Running this November to the right of President Bush on the ports would allow them to pose as selfless hawks — and make the president look weak.
Schumer insists that
<<< "the report has to go to Congress, that as much of it as possible be made public and that [Congress] have the right of disapproval." >>>
Well, he's right on two out of three.
Congress and the American people need to be reassured that this deal does not endanger U.S. security interests. In fact, the questions raised this far have been based more on ignorance of how the ports would operate under Dubai's control than on any substantive problems or issues.
Given the widely reported laxness of port security, people understandably feel uneasy about placing control of those ports in the hands of a company owned by a government which, pre-9/11, had a problematic record on terrorism. And a number of Republicans in Congress share those concerns.
Now the Bush administration is moving — albeit belatedly — to answer critical questions.
But granting such a veto to Congress — its eyes now firmly fixed on November's midterm elections — would be to bless a naked grab for political advantage at the expense of national security.
Schumer is better than that.
He should act like it.
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