Remember the Politics Behind Dubai Port Deal Fiasco?

Amidst all the charges over the Ground Zero mosque, it would be wise to remember how Democrats and Dubai ports (seems like ancient history don't it):

When Schumer found out that the Bush administration had agreed to lease several U.S. ports to a company bought by Dubai Port World, he went on the offensive, arguing that allowing foreign control of the country’s ports could increase terrorism. While the Port Authority and the administration initially supported Dubai Port World’s bid, Schumer and a group of senators eventually brokered a deal that allowed AIG to lease the space.Belson, Ken, “Port Authority Now Accepts Dubai Deal, Easing Debate,” New York Times, February 17, 2007(10)

Then their is this gem:

Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer said: “The question that needs to be answered is whether or not they [Dubai] can be trusted to operate our ports in this post 9/11 world.”

“Should we be outsourcing our own security?”

Opponents of the deal are planning to lodge their protests at a Senate hearing planned for later this month.

New York Governor George Pataki and Maryland Governor Robert Ehrlich said they were investigating their options, including the possibility of cancelling port management contracts.

From The Nation:

Defenders of the Dubai ports deal argue that rejecting it would be an insult to the Arab world. But if you look at it from a different angle, maybe we'd actually be doing our new found friends in the United Arab Emirates a favor. It is hard to imagine why on earth Dubai would want to manage six major American ports where less than 5 percent of cargo is inspected currently. What if, God forbid, terrorists, completely unconnected to Dubai, slipped a weapon of mass destruction through one of the ports Dubai manages? Has the emir of Dubai forgotten what happened to Saddam, who had no connection to 9/11?

Boston Globe:

WASHINGTON -- The proposal to allow a Dubai firm to manage six US ports has brought a striking reversal of roles in the politics of terrorism: Suddenly, Democrats are using insinuations and accusations to suggest that the Bush administration is being weak on security, while President Bush and allies are urging critics against assuming guilt by association

Amazing how those Democrats had zero qualms about using this issue to their advantage. By the way as a pathetic footnote can you guess who ended up buying Dubai's S assetts? Why AIG!

The port holdings in question were initially sold to Dubai Ports World by P & O Ports North America. After considerable concerns were raised in Washington, chiefly by Senator Schumer, about the process that initially approved the transfers of these ports and terminal operations to foreign ownership, Dubai Ports World agreed to sell off its U.S. acquisitions. In December, Dubai Ports World announced that it had struck a deal to sell the holdings to AIG Global Investment Group. The U.S. operations being sold include seaports and terminal operations in New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Miami, Tampa, Fla., and New Orleans. The Port Authority of New York/New Jersey, which owns the Port Newark Container Terminal slated to go to AIG, must give its consent to the transfer of the lease in order for the deal to close.