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The recent row over a state owned company from the United Arab Emerates buying the right to run American ports from the British company which currently runs them has created something we haven't seen since before 9/11. More Americans now say they trust Democrats more then President Bush when it comes to national security. To be fair Bush's appaling record of getting just about everything wrong in Iraq, his support of torture, his use of illegal wire taps all played into this as well put polls are showing large numbers of the people who stayed loyal to Bush and the Republican neo-cons through all that previous mess are now losing faith in the President and his party. Congressional Republicans are practically tripping over themselves to prove they oppose the President's approval of the sale of operating rights at American ports to an Arabian state owned company.
This is a good thing, right? Yes and no. It's good that mass numbers of Americans having finally woken up about what a failed President Bush is and how he has ran our country into the ground but, I am sorry to say, Bush is actually right on this one. The reality is nothing meaningful would change at America's ports if a British owned company gets bought out by an Arab owned company. Opposition to this buy out mostly boils down to anti-Arab feelings in the US which have very little to do with security or any measurable or practical concerns with the business of moving freight through ports. I'm certain that some of the opposition, both among Democrats & Republicans, is based upon a belief that an Arab company (even one owned by a relatively progressive Arab state which is officially allied with the US) would be an unacceptable security risk. That said the majority of this comes down to election year politics and the Democrats have found the ultimate wedge issue to drive security conscious Americans away from the Republican Party.
How? Simple they paint the UAE as a hot bed of Islamism, point out that two UAE citizens took part in 9/11 and then charge the administration with selling out America's security to his rich Arab friends. This sort of stuff plays among the red necks who elected Bush and who form the largest block of his supporters. The Democrats have, for the first time, found a way to put Bush on the defensive over his key issue... National defense. Now 43% of Americans think Democrats would do a better job combating terrorism and defending the nation compared to 41% who think Bush is the better choice. That is a massive loss for Bush who traditionally enjoys double digit leads in the area of defense.
As a Democrat I'm happy that people are finally seeing what a failure Bush is but as a progressive I am deeply disappointed that this was accomplished by feeding anti-Arab hysteria. I suppose that's why progressives so rarely sustain their victories. Unlike people like Karl Rove many of us don't just care about winning but also care about doing it for the right reasons. I don't think the Democratic leadership has won for the right reasons.
This is a good thing, right? Yes and no. It's good that mass numbers of Americans having finally woken up about what a failed President Bush is and how he has ran our country into the ground but, I am sorry to say, Bush is actually right on this one. The reality is nothing meaningful would change at America's ports if a British owned company gets bought out by an Arab owned company. Opposition to this buy out mostly boils down to anti-Arab feelings in the US which have very little to do with security or any measurable or practical concerns with the business of moving freight through ports. I'm certain that some of the opposition, both among Democrats & Republicans, is based upon a belief that an Arab company (even one owned by a relatively progressive Arab state which is officially allied with the US) would be an unacceptable security risk. That said the majority of this comes down to election year politics and the Democrats have found the ultimate wedge issue to drive security conscious Americans away from the Republican Party.
How? Simple they paint the UAE as a hot bed of Islamism, point out that two UAE citizens took part in 9/11 and then charge the administration with selling out America's security to his rich Arab friends. This sort of stuff plays among the red necks who elected Bush and who form the largest block of his supporters. The Democrats have, for the first time, found a way to put Bush on the defensive over his key issue... National defense. Now 43% of Americans think Democrats would do a better job combating terrorism and defending the nation compared to 41% who think Bush is the better choice. That is a massive loss for Bush who traditionally enjoys double digit leads in the area of defense.
As a Democrat I'm happy that people are finally seeing what a failure Bush is but as a progressive I am deeply disappointed that this was accomplished by feeding anti-Arab hysteria. I suppose that's why progressives so rarely sustain their victories. Unlike people like Karl Rove many of us don't just care about winning but also care about doing it for the right reasons. I don't think the Democratic leadership has won for the right reasons.
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