Here's the deal...it's no longer dems v. reps. It's the nation v Bush. For instance:
The basic rule of government credibility: "Never believe any rumor until it has first been officially denied."
An updated, Americanized version of the rule is that citizens should get worried whenever the White House says, "Fears are exaggerated," or that concerns are being "addressed."
The Dubai Ports World deal has the Bush administration -- bolstered by bipartisan, pricey Washington, D.C., lobbyists -- scrambling to reassure Congress and the public.
We should, they say, not worry about the management takeover of six East Coast and Gulf Coast ports by a firm owned by the United Arab Emirates. The U.S. government handles port security.
seattlepi.nwsource.com
But ...
In 2004, Port of Seattle boss Mic Dinsmore wrote a much-quoted Op-Ed piece in The Washington Post arguing that U.S. ports are the neglected stepchildren of homeland security.
He was on target then, still is today.
"The reason this (port takeover) is important is that we have not invested enough in port security: It is a huge hole in the war on terror," said Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., who has campaigned to upgrade the priority given to screening U.S.-bound cargo.
How much money is proposed for port security grants in President Bush's budget for the coming year? Zero. |
