The American Spectator

Reader Mail

p> PORT OF PIQUE br> Re: Jay Homnick's Ports in a Storm : /p>

Mr. Homnick refers to the ports deal as "another flash of the famous Bush obstinacy," and who can argue with that assessment? After all these years of obstinate refusal to deal with the problem of our porous borders, he has actually threatened to break out his dusty veto pen (assuming he can find it at all) to get the deal into reality over any Congressional challenge. He's determined to poke yet more holes in our national security even as he argues for ever greater powers to monitor private transactions of citizens.

How I wish that he'd apply some of that famous obstinacy to say, Social Security reform, on which issue he tucked tail and ran in the face of some partisan sniping and whining.

Is there no U.S. company that can provide the services to be provided by this new outfit? Where did this issue come from anyway? Is it a payoff for the claimed support of Dubai in our "war on terror"? Has there been some malfeasance or misfeasance on the part of whomever has been doing the job so far? Did they fail to adequately protect our ports of entry?

p>It's yet another example of Mr. Bush jabbing a sharp stick in the eye of those who elected him, with the consolation to them being that he's also nicked Charlie Schumer with this one. br> -- Mark Fallert /p>

Jay Homnick is correct in his assessment that Dubai Ports World is unlikely to engage in terrorist activities within the U.S. ports that it would be managing. At least within the foreseeable future. Yet there is still extremely good reason for the White House to justify its position on the pending transfer of responsibility.

That the UAE appears to be friendly and supportive of U.S. efforts to mitigate Islamic terrorist groups in the Middle East is heartening. Yet only three years ago, they were, seemingly, staunch supporters of radical Islamic groups that engaged in the most violent type of terrorist activity. They had strong public ties to Iran, Pakistan, North Korea and China. And, though they have taken a series of public steps, beginning in early 2005, that seemingly repudiate support for terrorist Islamic groups and regimes and pledge assistance with increasing security of maritime shipments; is it wise to trust our new found friends too far?

topics:
Taxes, Education, Harry Reid, Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, Television, Business, Social Security, Sports, Religion, Islam, Books, Hollywood, Movies, Constitution, Law, Iraq, Iran, Israel, Pakistan, NATO, North Korea, Energy, Oil