Two Good Quotes On Dubai Ports

Today's breathtaking 62-2 committee vote shoving the Dubai Ports deal up the president's proboscus was (1) a valid repudiation of a grossly mishandled, sensitive matter, (2) political grandstanding at its finest, and (3) an easy but stupid action by GOP Reps who were looking desperately for another way out, butwere not offered one.

The Captain has a good summary on the vote, including this:

All this hysteria does is make the Republicans look as foolish and uninformed as Democrats. Instead of focusing on the hypocrisy of the opposition party (under whose administration the Chinese and Saudis took over management of American ports, and whose last President has been advising the UAE on the deal) in pushing ethnic profiling for port operators but not for immigration and airport security, the GOP has abandoned its President and a reasonable offer to suspend the deal pending review and oversight by Congress at the end of it. They could have waited for that review and allowed all the facts to come to light, and then made an informed and rational decision to kill it. This measure is the equivalent of putting hands over ears and shouting nonsense to avoid hearing any debate.

And Scott McClelland hinted that Bush may keep his "no veto" streak going and back off his earlier threat to veto the action:

Q You've got a Republican mutiny kicking in right now. Does the veto threat stand, yes or no?

MR. McCLELLAN: The President's position is unchanged. But, Matt, I think what's important is that there are a lot of conversations going on. And our interest is in continuing to move ahead on those conversations and working with congressional leaders, and that's exactly what we're doing. And so that's really where the focus is right now.

62-2 will do that to you. Lost in the grandstanding is the 45-day review that probably wouldn't have changed enough votes, but at least might have perfumed the stinker a bit.

Next up: Can the U.S. Congress tell a British company who they can sell or not sell to?