So Now the Ports Deal Critics Are the Bad Guys?

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March 2, 2006

So Now the Ports Deal Critics Are the Bad Guys?

By Mark Davis

Welcome to 45 days of positioning on both sides of the Dubai Ports World controversy. Since the issue heated up last week, those of us who have chosen to stand up for port security have been rewarded with a wide variety of insults.

We are racists, as if only hatred of Arabs could spur opposition to Islamic control at U.S. ports;

We are isolationists, as if such opposition means we have no tolerance for foreign investment in America:

We are panicky nervous Nellies, as if strong negative reaction can only be born of paranoia and prejudice;

And, my favorite, we are idiots, as if we have not grasped all the comforting spin proponents have been offering up. But a lot of their arguments have been peppered with irrelevancies.

They seem driven to tell us the United Arab Emirates will not run security. Anyone paying attention knows that. The problem is not that the UAE will take over security, but that its involvement makes security harder. (Is that a fact?)

We are constantly reminded that the ruling emirs of the UAE have been an ally in the war, as if that means we have nothing to fear from their general population. I am filled with gratitude for the intelligence they have shared, which I'm sure has helped nab more than a few terrorists. As Muslim nations go, they have been virtual Boy Scouts. But we simply must find a way to express our thanks that falls somewhere short of giving them the keys to our ports.

Maybe that will snuff out the most insipid of the arguments offered up for this deal – the notion that it is a proper reward for being such good friends.

Have we noticed what our buddies among the citizenry from Dubai to Abu Dhabi have been saying about America as opinion polls revealed our hesitancy? Reporters sought reaction from the coffee shops and street corners of the UAE, and the general sense is that they feel betrayed by American racism and Islamophobia.

With friends like that, who needs the French?     

We are warned that if we thwart the Dubai Ports World acquisition, all that swell cooperation will grind to a halt. If that's true, these pals of ours are about as two-faced as our other chums, the Saudis, who talk a good game about fighting terror while their schools and media promote it.

We should have made clear to the UAE that while its dicey terror history makes the ports deal impossible, we value its continued journey toward moderation and look forward to additional cooperation. That's called diplomacy.

So what happens now instead? The White House has to figure out how much political capital it wants to squander. President Bush's previously unblemished record of post-9/11 cautiousness and tenacity now bears a stain, allowing countless hypocritical (but nonetheless correct) Democrats to position themselves as more alert to national security than he is. Great timing there, in an election year.   

But that timing is also an arrow in his quiver. The president can certainly call countless Republican members of Congress who are critical of the deal and express how much he would love to make a campaign visit this fall in return for a change of heart this spring.

How many will buckle? How many Bush supporters will wither under the strain of disagreeing with their man?

I'll tell you, it's not fun. Throw in Rush Limbaugh's willingness to swallow the port deal, and even Jimmy Carter's approval of it loses its fatal sting. In our short attention span nation, a month and a half is plenty of time to lose sight of the security threat this acquisition would present.

I confess to curiosity as to how those who so ardently want this deal will spend this time. What new material can they come up with? How much lipstick can be put on this pig?

Meanwhile, I can only hope the critics will stay focused and try to keep America on the post-9/11 footing Mr. Bush so wisely instilled in us what seems like so long ago.

Mark Davis is a columnist for the Dallas Morning News. The Mark Davis Show is heard weekdays nationwide on the ABC Radio Network. His e-mail address is mdavis@wbap.com.

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