Is Bush Stupid?

Let me preface by saying that I really like President Bush. I voted for him twice and respect him for being a man of principle even when a majority of people disagree with him. Unfortunately, this one of the times which I agree with the majority who have concerns over the recent transaction to turn operation of several of our ports over to the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Last week, under a secret agreement with the administration, the company called Dubai Ports World purchased the rights to operate the ports in New York, New Jersey, Baltimore, New Orleans, Miami and Philadelphia for $6.8 billion. Previously, the ports were run by the London-based Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Co. which is a publicly traded company. Dubai Ports is solely controlled by the UAE government. Thus, this transaction essentially turns over control of our major ports along the east coast to an Arab country.

The Department of Homeland Security has made repeated statements in the past on the need to improve security among our ports. So why are we simply handing the keys to one our most vulnerable access points to a potential enemy? There are stories coming out daily regarding the UAE's ties to terrorism including Osama Bin Laden. Now I have no idea how serious these accusations are but it doesn't take much of a leap to assume that they could be true. Arab countries have a long history of at least giving aid and comfort to terrorist regimes if not outright supporting them.

When Congress found out about this deal, many politicians from both sides of the aisle became alarmed. But what was Bush's response? Instead of determining that he made a mistake and backing away from the agreement, he has dug in and decided to hold his ground. He has even gone on the attack against those who oppose the deal as being anti-Arab. Well yes Mr. President I am anti-Arab in the sense that I don't trust Arab countries with our national security and I have a difficult time understanding why you would trust them. What has the UAE done in the past to earn our trust?

And while this is a policy error, it is an even larger public relations and political debacle. Bush's one strong point is protecting our homeland from terrorism. People might not like him personally or agree with his domestic agenda but they do trust him when it comes to the war on terror. Now all of the sudden that trust has been shattered by a deal that doesn't appear to benefit anyone other the UAE. Bush gets nothing out of this deal accept ceding the high ground on security issues to people like Hilary Clinton. This is exactly the opportunity she needed to flank Bush from the right and finally make herself look like a moderate.

I hope that Bush's ego or at least his advisors finally come to their senses and see this as the losing proposition that it truly is. It took several weeks for him to abandon Harriet Miers but eventually he saw the writing on the wall and we ended up with a very good judge in Alito. Maybe he can salvage this situation as well but by the looks of it, Bush is looking to fight a battle he cannot and should not win.