Liberal Media: AP-ABC News Edition

Goddammit! They did it again. This time the culprit is the AP/ABC news.

Look folks, Bob Menendez (my Senator and ex Rep.) and Hillary Clinton were the ones who made this story about our Ports being controlled by a terrorist supporting government an issue. They were the first ones out in front, and the first ones to say anything about it, and the first ones to draft/introduce legislation to stop it dead in its tracks. Fact is that if it weren't for them, this would have sailed right on by along with the ships carrying dirty bombs.

First off, the headline. "Frist Calls for Halt to U.S. Ports Deal." This is a reaction to a letter that Menendez, Clinton, Lautenberg, and Boxer sent to Bill Frist today.:

February 21, 2006

> The Honorable William H. Frist, M.D.

> Majority Leader

> United States Senate

> Washington, DC 20510

> Dear Senator Frist:

> We thank you for joining the call of lawmakers who are gravely
> concerned about the Dubai Ports World deal. As you know, unless
> Congress acts, operations at six major U.S.ports, and other U.S.
> port facilities, will be turned over to Dubai Ports World, a
> company owned by the government of the United Arab Emirates, on
> March 2. This sale will create an unacceptable risk to the
> security of our ports. We therefore request that emergency
> legislation we are introducing to ban foreign governments from
> controlling operations at our ports be slated for immediate
> consideration when the Senate convenes on February 27.

> Dubai Ports World has announced plans to buy P&O Ports, the company
> that runs commercial operation at ports in New York, New Jersey,
> Baltimore, New Orleans, Miami andPhiladelphia. The transaction was
> reviewed and approved by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the
> United States (CFIUS), a committee made up of representatives of
> different federal departments and agencies.

> Since that approval, however, numerous questions have been raised
> about the quality of that review and the prospect of a company
> owned by a foreign government controlling operations at U.S.
> ports. Only 5 percent of containers that enter the United States
> through ports are actually inspected, despite repeated warnings by
> security experts that ports are a prime target for terrorist attacks.

> The president has the authority to reverse or approve decisions
> made by CFIUS. However, in the absence of presidential
> intervention, the Senate must show leadership and act quickly. We
> urge you to bring up for debate legislation we are authoring to
> prevent sales ofU.S. port operations to companies owned by foreign
> governments. This issue transcends philosophical posturing and
> partisan bickering – it is about our nation’s security.

> The Senate must act fast and show leadership on this issue because
> too much is at stake. We look to your leadership in assisting our
> efforts in making this legislation a priority.

> Sincerely,

> _________________________
> _________________________

> ROBERT MENENDEZ
> HILARY RODHAM CLINTON

> United States
> Senator United
> States Senator

> _________________________
> _________________________

> FRANK R. LAUTENBERG BARBARA
> BOXER

> United States
> Senator United
> States Senator

(excuse the formatting, its from an emailed press release)

Yet this is not mentioned anywhere in the article and Bob Menendez is mentioned only in the 15th paragraph:

Senate Republican Leader Bill Frist called Tuesday for the Bush administration to stop a deal permitting a United Arab Emirates company to take over six major U.S. seaports, upping the ante on a fight that several congressmen, governors and mayors are waging with the White House.

"The decision to finalize this deal should be put on hold until the administration conducts a more extensive review of this matter," said Frist. "If the administration cannot delay this process, I plan on introducing legislation to ensure that the deal is placed on hold until this decision gets a more thorough review."

In the uneasy climate after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the Bush administration decision to allow the transaction is threatening to develop a major political headache for the White House.

"I'm not against foreign ownership," said Frist, "but my main concern is national security." He was speaking to reporters in Long Beach, Calif., where Frist was doing a fact-finding tour on port security and immigration issues.

Frist, R-Tenn., spoke as other lawmakers, including Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., and Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., said they would offer emergency legislation next week to block the deal ahead of a planned March 2 takeover.

Frist's move comes a day after two Republican governors, New York's George Pataki and Maryland's Robert Ehrlich, voiced doubts about the acquisition of a British company that has been running six U.S. ports by Dubai Ports World, a state-owned business in the United Arab Emirates.

The British company, Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Co., runs major commercial operations at ports in Baltimore, Miami, New Jersey, New Orleans, New York and Philadelphia.

Both governors indicated they may try to cancel lease arrangements at ports in their states because of the DP World takeover.

"Ensuring the security of New York's port operations is paramount and I am very concerned with the purchase of Peninsular & Oriental Steam by Dubai Ports World," Pataki said in a statement. "I have directed the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to explore all legal options that may be available to them."

Ehrlich, concerned about security at the Port of Baltimore, said Monday he was "very troubled" that Maryland officials got no advance notice before the Bush administration approved the Arab company's takeover of the operations at the six ports.

"We needed to know before this was a done deal, given the state of where we are concerning security," Ehrlich told reporters in the State House rotunda in Annapolis.

The arrangement brought protests from both political parties in Congress and a lawsuit in Florida from a company affected by the takeover.

Public fears that the nation's ports are not properly protected, combined with the news of an Arab country's takeover of six major ports, proved a combustible mix.

Republican Sen. Lindsay Graham of South Carolina said on Fox News Sunday that the administration approval was "unbelievably tone deaf politically." GOP Rep. Tom Davis of Virginia said on ABC's "This Week," "It's a tough one to explain, but we're in a global economy. ... I think we need to take a very close look at it."

Democratic Sen. Robert Menendez of New Jersey said Monday that he and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., will introduce legislation prohibiting the sale of port operations to foreign governments.

This is simply rediculous! Frist, King, Pataki, Ehrlich, Graham, and Tom Davis are all mentioned before Menendez and Clinton. That's 6 Republicans that get mentioned before the Democrats who brought the issue to the attention of the press.

All of whom get to make their grandstanding statements and promises of legislation before a Menendez mention. Yesterday it was Cokie Roberts and NPR, today it is Associated Press writers Will Lester, Matthew Verrinder, Tom Stuckey along with ABC news.

In short, if Democrats don't do anything, they get called the "Idea-less or Obstructionist" party. If they steal an issue near and dear to Republican's hearts (like Homeland Security), Republicans simply co-opt the press into stealing it back.

Yet another fine example of your finest Liberal Media.