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Should the Dubai-based company be allowed to manage key US ports, and what will you do about it?
Yes, it is the right thing to do, and I will urge my senator/congressman to support Bush on this 3 (21.4%)
Yes, it is the right thing to do, but I won't bother to urge my senator/congressman to support Bush on this 3 (21.4%)
No, it is wrong, and I will urge my senator/congressman to fight Bush on this 1 (7.1%)
No, it is wrong, but I won't bother to urge my senator/congressman to fight Bush on this 3 (21.4%)
I have no opinion on this either way 4 (28.6%)
Total Votes: 14
Congress sets up fight with Bush; over Dubai company managing key US ports
Topic Started: Mar 9 2006, 04:50 AM (356 Views)
Axtremus
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HOLY CARP!!!
[URL=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4784842.stm
 
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4784842.stm[/URL] ]

[size=7]Congress sets up fight with Bush [/size]

A powerful committee of the US House of Representatives has voted to block a deal that would give a Dubai-based company control over key US ports.

...

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4784842.stm

OK, some says Bush has been doing the right thing on this issue, some says Bush is wrong on this, I've also heard arguments along the line of "it's fundamentally the right thing to do, but it's politically wrong [or foolish] for Bush to do it."

Casting aside internal US politics and internal voters sentiments (if that's possible), do you believe letting a Dubai-based company manage some of our key ports is the "right" or "wrong" thing to do?
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Mikhailoh
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If you want trouble, find yourself a redhead
Well, now... what do we want? A president who does the right thing, or a president who does the politically expedient thing?
Once in his life, every man is entitled to fall madly in love with a gorgeous redhead - Lucille Ball
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JBryan
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I am the grey one
I don't think it is the right or wrong thing to do. I think it will have zero effect on our secuurity one way or the other.

Bush has to defend this aggressively to keep the UAE (and other Arab states) on board in our fight against terrorism. Even if Congress kills it he will still have done the right thing by them and will only take a hit in his favorability. Congressional Republicans will be the good guys to the American people, Bush to the Arab allies. Only one of them has to worry about reelection.
"Any man who would make an X rated movie should be forced to take his daughter to see it". - John Wayne


There is a line we cross when we go from "I will believe it when I see it" to "I will see it when I believe it".


Henry II: I marvel at you after all these years. Still like a democratic drawbridge: going down for everybody.

Eleanor: At my age there's not much traffic anymore.

From The Lion in Winter.
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kenny
HOLY CARP!!!
If the majority of Americans are stereotyping, hateful and racist then our elected officials should be be stereotyping, hateful and racist too.
Isn't this what it comes down to?
Afterall, this IS a democracy.

We have already seen stupid Americans elect a stupid President.

Funny, I don't hear the media reporting this simple and clear truth.

Next we are going to rebuild Manzanar.
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The 89th Key
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Ax, I have no opinion either way.

I think NO foreign companies should manage our ports.

Not the British or the Chinese that were put in place during Clinton's time, and not the UAE that might be put in place during Bush's time.

It should be American-owned.
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Axtremus
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HOLY CARP!!!
*bump*
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ivorythumper
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I am so adjective that I verb nouns!
Why the bump? Isn't this DOA?
The dogma lives loudly within me.
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Steve Miller
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Bull-Carp
It all has to do with spin.

W. &cie have spent years convincing us that there are terrorists lurking under every rock and bush. Ya'll believe him too - half of the posters to this forum sound like they're scared to death whenever terrorists are mentioned. Scared enough to throw out the constitution to be sure, and sometimes even scared enough to let the thin veneer of civilization peel away to the ugly core of religous intolerance underneath.

The problem now is that it's been overspun. W knows full well that the problem isn't quite what he's been selling us. He knows that not all Arabs are terrorists. His problem now is to convince us of that fact without making it sound like he was lying to us before.

'twill be a truly Rovian task.

Why? Because you can forget the "moral issues" nonsense (where IS that gay marriage amendment, anyway?); what got W back in to 1600 Penna. Ave. was the carefully crafted public perception that he would do a better job of protecting the country from terrorists than Kerry would. Now all of a sudden he's got Democrats wanting to get tougher on terror when he wants to give the UAE a pass. He's stuck with trying to protect long-time family interests without the spin machine grinding to a halt.

This too will be fun to watch.
Wag more
Bark less
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Mikhailoh
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If you want trouble, find yourself a redhead
kenny
Mar 9 2006, 07:24 AM
We have already seen stupid Americans elect a stupid President.

Yeah, and we have seen the loudmouth faggots try to cram their agenda down everyone's throat too. Like that statement, do you?

You talk about hating and turn around to make a statement like this. Shame on you, Kenny. You seem to think its ok to hate everyone who doesn't agree with you. You get a lot of respect and love on here, even from those who don't agree with you. Might be nice to return some of that respect.
Once in his life, every man is entitled to fall madly in love with a gorgeous redhead - Lucille Ball
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JBryan
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I am the grey one
Steve Miller
Mar 10 2006, 01:39 AM
It all has to do with spin.

W. &cie have spent years convincing us that there are terrorists lurking under every rock and bush. Ya'll believe him too - half of the posters to this forum sound like they're scared to death whenever terrorists are mentioned. Scared enough to throw out the constitution to be sure, and sometimes even scared enough to let the thin veneer of civilization peel away to the ugly core of religous intolerance underneath.

The problem now is that it's been overspun. W knows full well that the problem isn't quite what he's been selling us. He knows that not all Arabs are terrorists. His problem now is to convince us of that fact without making it sound like he was lying to us before.

'twill be a truly Rovian task.

Why? Because you can forget the "moral issues" nonsense (where IS that gay marriage amendment, anyway?); what got W back in to 1600 Penna. Ave. was the carefully crafted public perception that he would do a better job of protecting the country from terrorists than Kerry would. Now all of a sudden he's got Democrats wanting to get tougher on terror when he wants to give the UAE a pass. He's stuck with trying to protect long-time family interests without the spin machine grinding to a halt.

This too will be fun to watch.

Quite the tirade, Steve. Funny thing though is you sound far more frightened and paranoid than I will ever be.
"Any man who would make an X rated movie should be forced to take his daughter to see it". - John Wayne


There is a line we cross when we go from "I will believe it when I see it" to "I will see it when I believe it".


Henry II: I marvel at you after all these years. Still like a democratic drawbridge: going down for everybody.

Eleanor: At my age there's not much traffic anymore.

From The Lion in Winter.
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Mikhailoh
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If you want trouble, find yourself a redhead
There will be no use, JB. But like Freud said, 'sometimes a cigar is just a smoke'.
Once in his life, every man is entitled to fall madly in love with a gorgeous redhead - Lucille Ball
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QuirtEvans
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I Owe It All To John D'Oh
Who's Frued? :) :) :)

There are various versions of this attributed to Sigmund Freud.

In some versions, he said, "Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar."

In other versions, he said, "Sometimes a good cigar is merely a smoke."

The first, however, is the more commonly cited version of the quote.

It would be unwise to underestimate what large groups of ill-informed people acting together can achieve. -- John D'Oh, January 14, 2010.
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Mikhailoh
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If you want trouble, find yourself a redhead
Quirt,

Now I will quote my daughter: 'Thanks for that fun fact!'. :lol:
Once in his life, every man is entitled to fall madly in love with a gorgeous redhead - Lucille Ball
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John D'Oh
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MAMIL
Quote:
 
But like Freud said, 'sometimes a cigar is just a smoke'


And, as Bill Clinton said, sometimes it isn't.
What do you mean "we", have you got a mouse in your pocket?
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ivorythumper
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I am so adjective that I verb nouns!
Steve Miller
Mar 9 2006, 11:39 PM
and sometimes even scared enough to let the thin veneer of civilization peel away to the ugly core of religous intolerance underneath. 
There you go again with that "thin veneer" babble again. I think both human nature and the US political system are much more resilient.

Are you a Rousseauvian or Hobbesian in your view of humanity? Do you think this social contract is really all about controlling people to keep them in line? That might explain why you're a liberal -- they always seem to have plans that don't consider that people are capable of self governance and natural virtue (esp if they don't happen to be white, Ivy league educated Manhattanites).
Quote:
 


The problem now is that it's been overspun.  W knows full well that the problem isn't quite what he's been selling us.  He knows that not all Arabs are terrorists.  His problem now is to convince us of that fact without making it sound like he was lying to us before. 


It is certainly clear that the President does not think all Arabs are terrorists, and that is hardly the line we've been fed. Rather, that the Iraqis have been oppressed under a brutal regime and should be free to self govern.

Again, it gets back to your view of humanity. IIRC, RZ takes a racist view that the Iraqis are not fit for self governance -- more of that liberal condescension based on racial superiority.

The thinnest veneer is the liberals "love" for the people and language of "freedom" and "dignity". It hides their racism and their willingness to use political rhetoric under the guise of "entitlement programs" to seize and maintain political power.

One good rant deserves another.

:wink:
The dogma lives loudly within me.
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