CIA: UAE is a DRUG transhipment point (& money laundering) / PORT SALE

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0602200223feb20,1,2646651.story?coll=chi-newsnationworld-hed&ctrack=1&cset=true

Arab role in running U.S. ports under fire

Lawmakers question security guarantees
By Will Lester
Associated Press
Published February 20, 2006

WASHINGTON -- Lawmakers from both political parties, including the chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, on Sunday questioned an Arab company's takeover of operations at six major American ports as a possible risk to national security.

"I'm aware of the conditions . . . but it doesn't go to who they hire, or how they hire people," said Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.).

"They are better than nothing, but to me they don't address . . . how are they going to guard against things like infiltration by Al Qaeda or someone else?" King said.

Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff on Sunday defended the security review of Dubai Ports World of the United Arab Emirates, the company given permission to take over the port operations.

(snip)

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/port_security

GOP Governors Threaten to Block Port Deal

By WILL LESTER, Associated Press Writer 42 minutes ago
Feb 21, 2006

WASHINGTON - Two Republican governors are threatening legal action to block an Arab company from taking over operations in major U.S. ports and some GOP lawmakers say the deal should be closely examined.

In the uneasy climate after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the Bush administration decision to allow the transaction is threatening to develop a major political headache for the White House.

New York Gov. George Pataki and Maryland Gov. Robert Ehrlich on Monday voiced doubts about the acquisition of a British company that has been running six U.S. ports by Dubai Ports World, a state-owned business in the United Arab Emirates.

(snip)

Both governors indicated they may try to cancel lease arrangements at ports in their states because of the DP World takeover.

(snip)

http://www.workingforchange.com/article.cfm?itemid=18735

Molly Ivins
Creators Syndicate
03.17.05

The stench of rotting ethics

Only Tom DeLay's removal can freshen our nation's capitol

AUSTIN, Texas -- The John Wesley Hardin Died for You Society has a theme song that goes: "He wasn't really bad. He was just a victim of his times." I sometimes find this useful in trying to explain Texas political ethics to outsiders.

My theory is that few Texas pols are actual crooks, they just have an overdeveloped sense of the extenuating circumstance. Woodrow Wilson Bean once warned himself that he was skatin' close to the thin edge of ethics. After a moment, he concluded, "Woodrow Wilson Bean, ethics is for young lawyers."

(snip)

I grant you a certain resemblance to some of our more notorious standards: "Everybody does it" and "They did it first" are actually considered excuses here. But I categorically reject cultural responsibility for Tom DeLay. Real Texas politicians are neither hypocritical nor sanctimonious. A pol does what he must -- fish gotta swim, birds gotta fly -- but no pol of the Old School, when DeLay served in the Lege, would add self-righteousness to shady dealing.

(snip)

Another quality that makes DeLay an un-Texas pol is that he's mean. By and large, Texas pols are an agreeable set of less-than-perfect humans and quite often well-intentioned. As Carl Parker of Port Arthur used to observe, if you took all the fools out of the Lege, it would not be a representative body any longer. The old sense of collegiality was strong, and vindictive behavior -- punishing pols for partisan reasons -- was simply not done. But those are Tom DeLay's specialties, his trademarks. The Hammer is not only genuinely feared in Washington, he is, I'm sorry to say, hated.

(snip - much more at link)