Now that the uproar over the deal has calmed down you are seeing more articles and statements like this where the concept is that the deal wasn't a threat to security and should have gone through.

If true I wondering if the GOP Congressman (and NRO and others) who are busy patting themselves on the back over the port deal demise will be surprised when their business constituents starting getting after them for opposing the deal.

I think it's such a mistake for the US to deal with the UAE like they have. I guess you have to go there and do business as I have to appreciate how moxie those people are. Get a map and look where our Navy berths and re-fits. Just look at that strategic position and tell me they can't be trusted. We need to get our head out of our a** and pay attention to what is going on.

Waiting to hear about the heroic UAE troops fighting side-by-side with the American troops and teaching them the ways of Middle Eastern warfare...We have El Salvadorans giving their lives in the war on terror, but nobody from Dubai; curious, no? oh, wait, not curious at all, we're not to worry because these people are too busy being sophisticated western businessmen, right? nothing to see here, Dubai = Hong Kong, right? no pesky Islamofacism here, heck, I'll bet there's not even a mosque in Dubai, right? right??

Palm:

If El Salvadorans could service our ships they'd actually be more useful allies. The Hong Kong analogy is apt though. Just because Mao was evil didn't mean the Chinese of Hong Kong were our enemies.

Another irony: people in the UAE remain free to send cargo containers to the Port of NY and NJ.

Who has helped more with the war on terror, UAE or...France?

The UAE, but we allow the French, who spawned Moussaoui, to own US companies.

Really, French intelligence has made contributions and there are French soldiers fighting in Afghanistan. It's not even close.

The whole problem with the UAE is our buddies stuff is that there are so few facts to support your position, so you call those who disagree with you racists.

Congress is fast approaching the usefulness of the U.N. and should tend to their knitting of approving each other's pork barrel spending and let the adults go about their business, literally and figuratively.

At least we elect Congress. They are just responding to their constituents.

It's quite apparent that the UAE dumped big PR money on some politicos and pundits to sell the whole "nobody in UAE but us clubby hyper-economists: why, look at all our cranes, etc. and we just love-love-love the USA!" naturally, those who consider themselves international sophisticates readily climbed on-board this salespitch and started separating themselves from the ignorant fundamentalist types who are have no understanding of top-shelf realities (inbreeding, etc.). But I ask you, where are the moderate muslim marches in UAE against the cartoon madness, against Sadaam, against Iran, against beheadings? Where is the brave UAE soldier risking his life for freedom? There are exponentially more UAE Al Qaeda members than there are soldiers for the Good. UAE refuses to walk the hard road of being a U.S. ally during tough times and they should not be rewarded for their timidity in this regard.

Palm:

They don't need to buy reality. That you can't get past race to see what's really going on there is about you, not them.

Palm:

UAE intelligence has helped, their banks have helped, they service our ships, etc. When the French start helping our Navy as much as the IAE let's chat.

Recall that when the French bailed on NATO DeGaulle demanded that LBJ remove all our troops from their soil, to which Johnson responded: "When you say you want all American soldiers out of France, General, does that include the ones who are buried here too?"

Yet we do business with the French....

I'm no fan of the French. They are the lowest-possible comparison, which is why I chose them.

Palm:

Yes, we do business with our worst ally, why wouldn't we with one of our best, except for the fact that one is European and the other Arab?

AWW,

Of course the business constituents will not get after them. Considering that it was one of their own (Continential Stevedoring & Terminals) that drove this little fiasco by attempting to drum up business.

Never underestimate the ability of corporations to play on any side that helps propagate their overall interests.

Brad:

So, one corporation is happy, the rest are furious. Take a look at a business magazine or section and the issue has been covered completelty differently than in the hysterical rightwing press.

OJ: your business-class authorities were delighted when Snowcroft raised a class to toast the commies a few days after the Tiannamen massacre; now they want the UAE running our ports, big surprise. I guess I'm a racist for even implying Tiannamen wasn't a love-in?

No, your racism lies in the demand that Arab allies should be treated worse than Chinese enemies.

The UAE is an oligarchy that engages in commerce with us, they are as much of an ally as the House of Saud. How PC are you going to make this, OJ? Is Saudi Arabia an ally in your book? What do your cognac-and-cigar business publications tell you?

Yes, Saudi Arabia is a valuable ally.

what's the proper term? "stepford arabist"?

OJ,

If the other businesses are "furious" about this, the anger is merely a front. Much like Palmcroft's anger at Bush about the ports issue.

A lot of businesses in this country, including the one from which I draw my pay, are guilty of similar poaching behavior.

Brad:

Go ask the president of the company if he's okay with our Congress getting a right to sign off on every contract you sign with an overseas company and with foreign governments treating your com pany the way Congress did DP World.

"Waiting to hear about the heroic UAE troops fighting side-by-side with the American troops and teaching them the ways of Middle Eastern warfare..."

Ahh, there's nothing quite like benighted arrogance to make one's case eh Palmcroft? Hmm, well it took just a little effort for me to find that UAE troops are working side-by-side with U.S. troops in Afghanistan. Of course, that doesn't feed your anti-arab argument.

As for French Intel assisting the United States, would that be when the French Intel services gave the CIA cooked documents? Or when they were busy running interference for Saddam in the run up to the war? Or when they were selling Saddam French Made Anti-Tank missiles in direct violation of the weapons ban? I mean, it's hard to tell what benefit we gain from French "help" in the WoT.

Of course I have no doubt that the French want to help the U.S., just like they contributed to our effort in Kosovo - by spying for the Serbs during the war.

Palmcroft-- Go talk to anyone in the Navy and ask them about the port at Dubai, then you can yammer about "allies."

We should all keep in mind that there may never be a US buyer. DPW is likely to get the ports deal regardless.

Arabia is killing al Qaedists by the score.

They may or may not be a friend, but we are close business partners, and we have common enemies.

Al Qaeda threatens Arabia far more than it threatens America; indeed, the entire point of the al Qaeda movement is to overthrow the House of Saud.

Robert:

There are UAE soldiers in Afghanistan delivering sheep to villages and food to orphanages. Hats off to them. Really. Vital work to be proud of. They also got to blow up some ordnance at an ammo dump -- more young people doing noble work. A tiny remnant from UAE, but at least showing-up. No criticism here for that.

[For the facts about Dubai's assistance in the WoT read here:

http://72.14.203.104/search?q=cache:E4haPhVEnH4J:www.house.gov/hasc/schedules/3-2-06Edelman.pdf+general+testimony+dubai&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=3&lr=lang_en&client=firefox-a]

Throughout the nineties, as Al Qaeda attacked America across the globe, emirs various from the UAE regularly visited Bin Laden, like on holiday with their best buddy, OBL. In fact, CIA chief G. Tenet stated in senate testimony that an opportunity to kill OBL in 1999 was lost because princes from the UAE were being feted by OBL in Afghanistan and we did not want to kill any of our "allies."

Many people want to be wary -- not "scared" or "racist" or "xenophobic" or, as OJ posts Wed., "stupid," about dealings with this Janus-faced "ally." Wariness born of war, which the business-class mocks as ignorance.

OJ's fantasy is an America run by a House of Lords, all wariness dulled by three-scotch lunches mutely served by those wild-eyed evangelicals who know to disappear when weighty matters are discussed.

Palm:

That's because we supported the Taliban then. Should we close down American businesss?

The UAE helps keep our navy afloat--no one is doing more to help in the WoT outside of the Anglosphere.

OJ:

The UAE is providing commerical services.

Right now, the UAE and the U.S. are mutually-useful.