It's Simple Really

When Toyota comes to America and builds a car factory, they do not also bring with them 10,000 Japanese citizens to work in the factory and build the cars: They hire 10,000 Americans to do the work.

It's the same with the port operations company: Americans will be managing our ports. Just their paycheck will be signed in Dubai. In fact, since this is just a takeover of the original company, the same (American) people that were managing our ports before under the British company will be managing them after the takeover by the Dubai company. Why would the 10,000 Americans in charge of operating our ports suddenly be a threat to national security just because the address of their HQ is now in the UAE? Are they going to turn a blind eye to suspicious activity just because their stock options are in riyals (or whatever)?

Now, the major salient point: Bush is screwed. Why? Well, that above point about how it is Americans that are operating our ports was an exceptionally easy point to make, but not one member of George Bush's party is standing up and making it (although Joe Lieberman seems to have figured it out, natch). Instead, Republicans are using this situation to dump on the president in order to score political points at home.

Let me say it again: President Bush is being hung out to dry by Republicans in Congress on the issue of domestic security from terrorism.

See ya.

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Oh and p.s. All George Bush has to do to win this argument is to make one of those feel-good America-rocks speeches with about 300 American employees of this now-Dubai port operations company on bleachers standing behind him, soldier-style, and say, "Look, if this deal doesn't go through, these people, plus 10,000 other Americans like them, will be looking for a job. Do you want that?"

Shh though: Don't tell George.