Saturday, May 06, 2006

Dubai Firm Cleared to Buy Military Supplier

Dubai Firm Cleared to Buy Military Supplier
Something may be rotten in Denmark, but the stench of an ill and hobbling democracy hovers over the United States.
There are indications that the United States is headed toward increasingly turbulent times with some Muslim and other third-world nations. So why is the Bush administration seemingly fixated on making us more vulnerable to these nations? OK, I suppose the administration doesn't actually want to make us more vulnerable. What alarms me is the administration's seemingly unrestrained promotion of big business to the detriment of national security.


Remember the Dubai ports deal? President Bush almost couldn't let go of that millstone even when it plunged into the harbor. Remember his recent committment of nuclear technology to India? Recall our ongoing massive trade deficit with China? How about our "open door" policy to ill-paid, easily exploited illegal immigrants? Or the massive domestic spending, to the point of debt-worship, on Medicare and other domestic programs.


But back to Dubai. They couldn't close the deal on the ports, so what does the administration negotiate behind the backs of the American public, and then spring upon us to remind us to stay in our place? The sole supplier of certain military turbine components is one of a group of manufacturers being sold to a Dubai government-owned company. Take that, America! "Who do You think You are to embarrass and oppose me before the world? I'm the President! No matter that Dubai supports terrorists (http://www.nationalreview.com/mccarthy/mccarthy200603010741.asp)".


Why can't we recognize the signs of the times and decide that on some issues it is time to circle the wagons. It's a good time to insist that we don't continue to outsource critical military components. It's a good time to protect our critical domestic infrastructure and military capabilities. It's a good time to take control of our own borders and moderate the flood of illegal immigration.