The Bush administration is letting an Arab-owned company operate six major U. S. ports, including New York and Baltimore. Two Republican governors are understandably miffed that they weren't consulted before the approval was a done deal -- the governors of New York and Maryland are looking into cancelling the leases at ports in their states.
What happened was Dubai Ports, a company owned by the United Arab Emirates bought out a British company that has been running the U.S. ports. Administration officials maintain "concerns about port security" have been taken into account. But critics point to the UAE's history as an operational and financial base for the hijackers who carried out the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and they contend the UAE was a transfer point for smuggled nuclear components sent to Iran, North Korea and Libya.
Is there an upside? The takeover of the ports has put Maryland gubernatorial candidates of both parties on the same side of an issue. Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley said during a campaign stop: "We are not going to turn over the Port of Baltimore to a foreign government." The Bush administration has made it clear the past few years that they will go to any lengths to protect our national security, so do we trust this move?
