Missing the Boat on Port Security Posted by Lorelei Kelly

For the first time, it seems, the adroit operatives of the Bush Administration have landed in the middle of the intersection of politics and policy--and now know what it feels like to be T-boned by a truck.  Make that a sea-faring vessel.  The sale of six US ports to an Arab company has both  Republicans and Democrats doing cartwheels while hyperventilating while watching their 06 poll numbers.

This is not a wise nor a measured response.  In contrast, it is lazy and opportunistic and does nothing to address the overriding challenge of achieving port security.  Instead of educating the public about needed policy reforms, such posturing scares Americans and brings out the worse kind of isolationism. There's a pattern here. Remember last year, when Congress blocked the sale of American company  UNOCAL to a Chinese buyer but said nothing about our wacky budget and the fact that China owns billions and billions of US debt?  Well, the ports sale goes into the same easy political in-box: If Congress screams enough about selling American property to Arabs, maybe nobody will notice the fact that five years after 9/11 we still don't have a well-funded and comprehensive port security plan.  At least the President has something in mind, the National Strategy for Maritime Security. Congress, meanwhile, is so stingy with the Coast Guard that the agency can't live up to its own congressional mandated port security duties.

Today's greatest security challenge is to maintain our status as a leading open society.  Free (and fair) markets are a key part of that reputation. The President is correct when he maintains that blocking the deal would be unfair to "a company that has played by the rules, that has been cooperative with the United States, from a country that's an ally in the war on terror, and it would send a terrible signal to friends and allies not to let this transaction go through"

Moreover, much of the reporting on the ports sales is just flat wrong. For example:

The UAE company P&O will not be "managing" the ports, as many news organizations have reported. Instead, the company is one of many that leases terminals at the port.  They also won't control security--Dubai Ports World would be managing the commercial activities of these U.S. ports, not securing them as that is maintained by the ports themselves along with the federal government  The Wall Street Journal ran an excellent piece laying out these arguments.  Several conservative  bloggers chimed in on both sides.  Even  Jimmy Carter is defending the president on this one.

The short-sightedness of our political leaders is illogical.  Critics note that some of the Sept. 11, 2001, hijackers used the United Arab Emirates as a financial and operational base.  Well, they also used New Jersey and Florida as financial and operational bases before 9/11.  And home-grown terrorists seem to be a much bigger problem in the UK--the owner of P&O-- than any Arab infiltrators.

The Republicans in Congress are finally getting that kicked-in-the-teeth feeling that Democrats have suffered for five years.  (Members of Congress should also regret the loss of  Texas Representative Chris Bell who was co-founder of the Port Security Caucus in Congress until he lost his district to Delay and Co) But the anger is justified by the absence of any process. No consultation, no deliberation, no forewarning.   Legislators who would like to engage in a much-needed education about Port Security should check out work by the Secure Infrastructure Technology Lab SINTEL at the Stevens Institute of Technology, the Markle Foundation or anything written by Steve Flynn at the Council on Foreign Relations.

Achieving port security comes back to the same old hobby horse "hearts and minds". The most important aspects of port security can happen only with solid international partnerships.  For example,  we need a greater ability to track containers in transit.  We need more efforts like the Container Security Initiative, which allows US screeners to inspect high risk containers before they arrive at US ports. We meed to be able to keep better track of the global supply chain,
something that Steve Flynn calls "trade security". 

We need a comprehensive strategy to be implemented. Port Security will not be in effect until we have one.  That's a  far better occasion for bipartisan consensus than this frenzy to rally Americans' greatest fears for political gain.

Comments

[Craig]

This is one time when the symbolism is overriding. Bush has spent the last four years saying, "Trust me, and I will protect you." Bush has done many things that are ill-advised and has ignored a lot of good advice for political reasons and he has acted with a secrecy and arrogance on many occassions that are troubling.

Clearly, America's trust in Bush has been slowly eroding for the last two years. Iraq is not going well. There are questions about the NSA spying. Katrina showed that Homeland Security is not up to the task of dealing with a possible attack. The list goes on.

Now the Bush Administration tells America that control of six of our ports are being turned over to an Arab country with far more ties to the Taliban and Osama bin Laden than Saddam Hussein had; despite questionable details, we are to trust him once more. Keep in mind the context in which most Americans are hearing this news after four years of blunders and falling approval ratings. It is no surprise that the response of an overwhelming majority of increasingly skeptical Americans is simply, "Huh?"

An overwhelming majority of Americans can no longer resolve the many contradictions of the Bush presidency.

[Lorelei Kelly]

you're right. If your mantra is "we have to kill them over there before they kill us over here" you're going to ruin your chances for reasonable policy discussions across the board. Something tells me, however, that this won't be an occasion for introspection. Let's see what further investigations turn up....seems there is more information about the deal being revealed....

[Craig]

Lorelei, you always make good comments and your points about ports are well taken. I've been concerned about our ports long before the Dubai deal came up for the simple reason I know two people who have worked in customs, one in Los Angeles and the other in New York; both were concerned about a lot of issues long before 9/11. But they were also concerned about an insider's game that allow certain things to come in and certain things to go out without much in the way of inspections; given how Bush operates, I'm inclined to believe something isn't on the level and that may be the real issue for the good people who look at policies and real world effects. But I would argue that the security of our ports is not that good and needs to be improved. A good compromise might involve letting the Dubai deal go through with the normal restrictions that everybody else has who are involved in ports in addition to nationwide improvements in port security.

As for "If your mantra is "we have to kill them over there before they kill us over here" you're going to ruin your chances for reasonable policy discussions across the board," I don't think any of my previous comments have been in that category and if you look at my blog (http://donkeypath.blogspot.com), you'll know for certain that isn't along my lines of thinking.

But symbolism is important and in this case there are two areas involved: national security and outsourcing. Both are sore points for the average American. Policy has to know what the symbolic issues are and incorporate them into policy. Even if racism and jingoism can be minimized as parts of that symbolism, and I think it's wrong to assume that only jingoism and racism are involved even if its primary for a certain percentage of Americans, there are still potent issues involved. Number one on the list for a growing number of Americans is the inability to trust Bush. That's the real issue. The inability to trust Bush is an issue that is hampering all foreign policy discussions worldwide; obviously enough trust still exists for real discussions to still take place by the administration and for policy experts to contribute what they can but the degradation of trust and credibility simply can't be ignored. The real potency of the Dubai deal is that it's symbolic of that growing distrust.

Just so we're clear, I mean three things by trust: transparency, integrity and competence.

[Dan Kervick]

I've been dismayed in the debate over the DPW issue by the startling inability to focus, and am increasingly bewildered by the crazy twists and turns of the discussion. People seem driven by the controversy to vent on the broadest and most abstract issues touching macroeconomic philosophy, while leaping carelessly over the specifics and the matter at hand. At bottom, this is a very specific issue about a specific economic transaction, of the sort that would be expected to arise from time to time no matter what one's approach to global trade. Honestly, if the sale is turned down, I don't think the future of globalization hangs in the balance.

Even in a radically globalized world, I assume that there are some transactions that will be blocked from time to time because of legitimate and weighty security concerns. The question I would most like an answer to is this: in the case of this particular company, from this particular country, making this particular kind of purchase, in this particular business, are concerns about security serious enough to merit blocking the transaction?

Yet this simple and focussed question has been obscured by a large assortment of red herrings, some of which are:

1. Blocking the sale is a sign of the dreaded turn toward isolationism. (It's not. Even in a very open and interconnected world, security issues will arise from time to time.)

2. The main issue is the fact that DPW is state-owned company. (Who cares? We do business with all manner of state-owned companies in many different areas. The security concerns about DPW mostly have to do with where the company is located, not what manner of ownership it has.)

3. The main is issue here is outsourcing. (It really isn't. In this case, what most people are interested in is whether allowing DPW to operate a terminal in the Port of Philadelphia is an unacceptable security risk. The outcry has little to do with the usual outsourcing worries.)

4. Blocking the sale will do nothing to address the overriding challenge of achieving port security. (Of course not. Whether approving the sale is a smart move or a dumb move is independent of whether we have have failed to take certain related and more comprehensive security steps in the past. Similarly, washing one's hands on a particular occasion might keep you from getting a cold a cold, even if it doesn't do anything about the global influenza problem.)

[Lorelei Kelly]

Thanks Dan and Craig. I agree with both of you. Craig, I by no means think that your philosophy is "kill them over there" that's the Rove philosophy of winning elections...and that's what I mean is creating this blowback i.e. mistrust. There's no good faith left. That's been gone with the Dems for years, the R's are feeling it now, too.

[opit]

Whar we really should have learned from the Bush track record is to scrutinize the proposed T O S for sweetheart deals by someone who would know something about the players ; without financial ties to the process.

[Kontorcum]

There are certain things in life related to smoking that simply cannot :)
parça kontör
parça kontör bayiliği
parça kontör bayilik

[Asda Story gold]

Do you like the Asda Story money?I think that if you know it you will like it. If you have it you can go to buy Asda Story Gold and then you can go to buy equipment to arm yourself. You can also get some cheap Asda Story gold from the game. Join us and play the game with us together.

[gw gold]

I hope i can get GuildWars Gold in low price.

[Archlord money]

When I have Archlord gold, I feel very pleased with life no one can understand you, but here you will find fun. When I have Archlord money, I experienced that feeling, that very warm feeling.

[seal cegel]

Once I played seal, I did not know how to get strong, someone told me that you must have seal cegel. He gave me some sealonline cegel.

[shaiya online gold]

I appriciate him. I prefer the
shaiya money in the game. In fact, the
shaiya online gold is expensive.

[flyff money]

when you do not have flyff money, you must borrow flyff gold from friends

[Designer Fendi Handbags]

Once I played seal, I did not know how to get strong, someone told me that you must have seal cegel.

[Bvlgari Necklaces]

Once I played seal, I did not know how to get strong, someone told me that you must have seal cegel

[plastic injection molding]

Flyers printed by China printing is very good quality and good prices.
Plastic products made by injection molding services with low costs and supeior quality
Shoring scaffolding for construction is a very useful tool.

[ghghg]

CHEAP rs gold
MY lotro gold
CHEAPEST aion gold

[cheap coach handbags]

Thank you for your sharing! I like i very much!

[ghd]

ghd IV salon styler,ghd purple roll bag.

product features:


Auto sleep mode(A built in safety feature that gives you peace of mind by turning off if the ghd IV styler is left unallended for 30 minutes.)


Universal voltage(So that you can use your styler in any country without an adaptor.)


Advanced ceramic heaters(The ultimate heating technology for the ultimate shine and style creation.)

All our products are cheap,if you want to find cheap ghd,come here and that is right.

If you want to find GHD hair products,you can write GHD straightener,GHD hair straighteners,GHD straightners,GHD hair,straighteners GHD in google browse.

[chanel handbags]

Chanel Handbags are woman’s dream come true.

Chanel, a fashion name that has become synonymous with femininity since 100 years, is on the must-have list of every fashion-conscious woman.? And we bring these must-have Chanel Handbags at never before discounts, just for you.

It is only when you come across an Chanel New Arrivals, do you realize the power of her words.? Chanel handbags are crafted not just to be trendy, but trend-setting.? Hardly has lived a celebrity who has not been seen carrying a Chanel handbag under her arm; such has the influence of Chanel handbags as a fashion statement.

Chanel handbags have been so popular in the elite classes of the society, that their pricing is usually prohibitive for everyone else.? Discount Chanel handbags are really difficult to come across, but today should be your lucky day.? We bring you a superb unbeatable range of Chanel Flap bags, all at fantastic discounts.? With us, you have an incredible chance to buy your favorite Chanel handbags at rock bottom prices!

Chanel Handbags have always been at the forefront of luxury and style.? The Chanel classic quilted leather handbags and its reinventions have ruled fashion since forever.? Chanel handbags have remained extremely popular as they continue to merge evolving modern trends with the class and simplicity of its original avatar.

An Chanel 2008 Collection and Chanel 2009 Collection single handedly enhances the look you are carrying.? The reason you would buy a Chanel handbag is own a bag that mingles with your charm and intensifies it with its inherent simplicity.? If you have owned an authentic Chanel handbag before, you know what we are talking about.? If you are one of the unlucky people who haven’t yet gotten a chance to own an Chanel Cambon, now is your chance to shop for an authentic Chanel handbag and discover its ability to transform your look completely.

Buy Chanel handbags with us, and get fabulous discounts which you will never get at your favorite store.? We offer cheap authentic Chanel handbags and they are all up for grabs!

[China Tent]

I love it,Excellent article.I am decide to put this into use one of these days.Thank you for sharing this.To Your Success!

[haber]

t that might not work for everybody.
Maybe you could just hint to this workaround if those funny characters show up.

http://www.bighaber.com

[Network]

thanks for sharing Sohbet many people are pay more attention to one's swearing than before, especially a watch.Muhabbet.
Perhaps when you went to some place far away Sohbet you must borrow it from friends you can get everything you want in this game Chat money to invest in other industry which will return you good profit. Sohbet when you look at Chat
the surface of the watches viaload great any cool Exsohbet from the city you live in and thought you knew nobody there Egitim Fourth, there were various signs of political conflict among shia. If they split 3 ways or 4 ways, the sunnis and the kurds could often be the Sohbet swing votes in the politics. If they felt they had political clout out of proportion to their numbers, they could settle in Sohbet and do politics and not feel oppressed.

[http://www.orjinkrem.net/]

I love it,Excellent article.I am decide to put this into use one of these days.Thank you for sharing this.To Your Success!

orjin krem Tütüne sonaltın çilek formula 21t that might not work for everybody.
Maybe you could just hint to this workaround if those funny characters show up.

[louboutin pas cher]

Some women in order to save time, use the same on different occasions are only the package

[Thomas Sabo Australia]

Today the total is noticeably, Thomas Sabo Australia offers accepted to manifest as a analogue for maximum merchandise. Make it possible for a certain injury including Holiday season, Evening of romance or even Mothering Tuesday, will, no doubt buy your brilliant existing to fit those invoved with accession to the expansion. This specific latest can certainly on top of that Thomas Sabo Jewellery add more relating to the proliferation not to mention beatitude from the most important event Properties the sexes what person accuse in not really taking as well as allow not even happened to be capable to aces an established latest for Thomas Sabo types apron and youngsters. Still Thomas Sabo on sale stuff you will not wherever accept that passionate involved with frustration. Your found conform put in conquer not acknowledge to be anxious choice . almsman will cherish the software or otherwise not.

Sabo recent models are not alone get started with sufficient for lovers from peacefulness. When the request all the diffuse record, you'll apperceive to admission private for those in your ancestors assemblage or simply amphitheater of buddies. The particular runs in power you could see you can which means appealing together with purchase all the aberrant associate about adroitness that may experience an appropriate accurateness together with ancestors or possibly contacts. This has been a arresting behavior all those flexibility which accepts delivered a bonus apropos figures all over.

[水着]

お客さんもバンドメンバーも、そしてスタッフも下着全員女子というひなまつりバージョンで開催されたこのイベントは、まずはトークコーナーからスタート。普段は見ることのできない近藤夏子の一人暮らしの部屋を動画で公開し、実際にお部屋にある水着お気に入りグッズを会場で披露するというサービスっぷり。
その後、会場に集まったファンから近藤夏子へのぶっちゃ女性 水着け質問を募集し、その質問に直接答えたり、恋愛に関する悩み相談をするなど、会場中は、完全に女子会状態。女子だけということでぶっちゃけトークにも花が咲き下着 激安1時間以上にわたる大盛り上がりなトークコーナー下着 通販を経て、後半はライブへ。
2月9日にリリースとなった「うつむきスマイル」を中心に9曲を披水着　通販露した近藤夏子だったが、この日バンドメンバーには元プリンセス・プリンセスのベーシスト渡辺敦子の姿も。プリンセス・プリンセスの大ヒット曲「ダイアモンド」を、渡辺敦子のハモリとともにカバーを披露、ライブも大変な盛り上がりを見せた。
アンコールで披露された「別に。」では、いつものライブではタオルが振り回され水着　激安るところだが、今回は女子限定ということで、なんと女性用下着がぶんぶん振り回されるというビックリな光景も。事前にTwitterやブログで告知されていただけに、集まったファンも思い思いにいろいろなものを振り回し、最高のひな祭りイベントは幕を下ろした。

[chat sohbet]

paylaşım için teşekkür ederiz...

[evden eve nakliyat]

the government to tackle the challenge. Progress on this will not be various departments; the challenge of making this work is hard enough.

[Texas VA Loans]

The government to tackle the challenge. Progress on this will not be various departments; the challenge of making this work is hard enough.

[prefabrik]

thanks for sharing Sohbet many people are pay more attention to one's swearing than before, especially a watch

[水着]

彼らはリンクを取得するための最良の方法は、女性 水着人気サイト、人気のサイトを持っレディース水着てするための最良の方法を持っている人々はそのためそれとビキニリンクすることです判断するため、コンテンツの達人に来る場所もちろん、ここにある、コンテンツが必要よい。そして、彼らはそうだ。人々は最初の場所でそれを見つける方法を – ウェブサイトはあなたが考える必要があ水着　通販る荒野に追放される良質なコンテンツは良い品質のリンクを生じさせるのだろうか？バックは人気の指標である、それはGoogleが正確にWebサイトは、任意の特定の検索が実行されたときに配置する必要がありますここで判断するゲージとして水着　激安使用することができる唯一の​​ことだ。したがって、（検索エンジンの目の前に）ワンピース水着人気がある必要があります – あなたのサイトを指しているバックの多くは、あなたがリンク
して価値があると信じて他のサイトから来ているでしょう。

[Air Jordan 1 Blue White]

This article gives the light in which we can observe the reality. This is pretty good, and gives in-depth information.

[Nike Blazer (black/Brown)]

Thank you for your excellent article. I added you came across. Continue to work hard.

[halı yıkama maltepe]

relevant to the job in turkey there is a refreshing towel işyerimiz one site dedicated to ourselves that we could not do, but I think I will also not be right if ta yağacayız asp, but let's look at how your friends do you think?

[العاب]

العاب
games
G9G
العاب
games
G9G
العاب
games
G9G
توبيكات

[carlos ruiz jerseys sale]

Here you have wonderful ideas. I did a search on the subject, found that almost all people will agree with your blog. This is a showcaseof products and the audience to sleep fine line between

[seo optimizasyonu]

ur politicians are vulgar and brash and a little bit vile, while our judges appear to be quiet pillars of probity. However, it is the former whom we choose to speak and act on our behalf. There are indeed times when an injustice is so egregious that the SCOTUS must step in and right a legislative wrong. But to believe that this is such a case is to hold that Guantanamo detainees are on an equal plane as black children in pre-Brown v. Bd. of Ed. America. I know: a bit of a strawman, but true nevertheless.

Let’s also think about the practical effects of leaving the Hamdan

[kış bahçesi]

ur politicians are vulgar and brash and a little bit vile, while our judges appear to be quiet pillars of probity. However, it is the former whom we choose to speak and act on our behalf. There are indeed times when an injustice is so egregious that the SCOTUS must step in and right a legislative wrong. But to believe that this is such a case is to hold that Guantanamo detainees are on an equal plane as black children in pre-Brown v. Bd. of Ed. America. I know: a bit of a strawman, but true nevertheless.

Let’s also think about the practical effects of leaving the Hamdan

[sistem]

are vulgar and brash and a little bit vile, while our judges appear to be quiet pillars of probity. However, it is the former whom we choose to speak and act on our behalf. There are indeed times when an injustice is so egregious that the SCOTUS must step in and right a legislative wrong. But to believe that this is such a case

[knockoff handbags]

This is a wonderful site! I’ve been looking for something like this
for a while now!
ggfyhnb

[Memory Stick]

When I have Archlord gold, I feel very pleased with life no one can understand you

[Toys store]

All those words and phrases are fairly general and are not conclusively on point

[payday loans]

Democrats will only win if they use words you like because everybody thinks they're soft reinforces conservative hit-job talking points.

[lele]

oh, Great articl! I will keep this post.

[cheap football shirts]

Shaanxi team sits at home and welcome the challenge of Guangzhou Heng brigade, Gao Hongbo taking office after the campaign is the first home games.

[gclub]

Nice! Thank you.

[cherry]

Ugg Boots Verkauf , Supranationale Konzerne sind Unternehmen, die wissen aus Verträgen und Allianzen zwischen Nationalstaaten und / oder grundlegende banks.Because meisten dieser Organisationen werden Allianzen innerhalb besten Kräfte weltweit gemacht werden, sind sie eine starke extreme Auswirkungen auf die Welt in all Bezug: politisch, steuerlich, und innerhalb die Welt der persönlichen markets.While gibt es eine Reihe supranationaler Organisationen, in diesem Beitrag habe ich bei den Typen I Betrachtung als wichtiger werde schauen - die Techniken, die ich glaube, entwickeln das größte Verhältnis zu den weltweit Wirtschaft: alle G20, IWF, und zusätzlich der Welt Bank.We werde dann gehen bis zu der beste Weg, Händler sind in der Lage, sie zu untersuchen und die Informationen, die sie geschaffen, um zukünftig bewegt Sie Haupt Supranational Corporations Affecting Global Economy1.All des Internationalen Währungsfonds find.The abschätzen zu identifizieren ( . IWF) hier das Schlüsselelement Stichpunkten über die IWF-Listed: Im Laufe des Schreibens dieses Artikels, hat der IWF 215.000.000.000 $ an die Nation zur Verfügung

[cheap car insurance]

Guangzhou Heng brigade, continued to attack the hinterland of Shaanxi team. 2 minutes, a long pass over the top Phil Mani,

[Complex41]

have never read such a lovely article and I am coming back tomorrow to continue |
complex 41 yemek tarifi manzaralar Zayıflama afrika mangosu Epilamor moliva
ömer coşkun

[swiss watches]

Palace Viscount quickly answer, very pious, as tribute to emperors like.See that the girl is really tired, just have the Kazakh gas and groaning, so funny she is no longer Viscount Palace, Stern said: "Putt-Putt like what! But only sleep in a bed, if you wish a person to sleep , I go to bed room. go take a bath now! eyes almost rolling into.

[moncler coats for sale]

Yeah he isnt any good there but they should choose someone else. But i wonder who that could be.

[ghd australia]

with Chinese