Congress to Dept. Homeland Security: Get back to Political Pimping

Anyone watched the Commerce Committee PORT hearings?

It was surreal!

The witnesses were principally technical and operational folk trying to present facts and timelines about the security review and security issues concerning the Ports deal.

They were trying to explain the intimate, day-to-day relationship between the U.S. security infrastructure and Dubai Ports World existing operations.

They were trying to explain the complexities and challenges of end-to-end Global Supply Chain security.

They were trying to explain that over 75% or U.S. port terminals are operated by the same “Foreign” companies that run much of container shipping.

The Committee had little interest in this.

While some Bushbots threw out softball questions requiring “Bush is good” answers, for the most part the senators were engaged in populist and “war on terror” rhetoric which amounted to asking the witnesses: Why were you not focused on the “political implications?”

Some apparently critical security issues:

Role of women in the Arab world.

Women in DP World management.

Arab boycott of imports from Israel.

Jews on the Board of Directors?

Exactly which “Shieks” are involve in DPW ownership, and do they ever dare to try to influence operations?

It was a sad spectacle of Democrats following the NeoCon playbook.

John Kerry gave one of the more respectable performances: He made a statement and then discreetly left the room.