Big Problem for Bush

Physical security is a good thing, so why take chances with the security of the ports of the USA? It will be interesting to see how President Bush gets out of the political mess he is in. The issue of UAE managing US ports is the first real blunder of his presidency, because it is offending both parties thus unifying opposition. The war in Iraq only antagonized the far left, at least at the beginning, and they have been expending political capital to their disadvantage ever since. Personally the war in Iraq while the correct action has been woefully mishandled; ease of goal accomplishment was terribly overestimated. But even that has not pushed Bush to the wall as this issue will.

I saw Chuck Schumer on Fox News yesterday and he was behaving very reasonably. If I was a born again Christian I would take this as a sign of the rapture being near. A Republican congressman has been the first to take Bush to task on this issue. Things can’t be good.

Here is another aspect of the problem: are all Muslims terrorists? This is the insulting conclusion of the opposition to the UAE’s role in this situation. Of course the answer is no, yet there are enough of them to take no chances. How will this failure to implement play on the “Arab Street”? Why should we care?

This is definitely a chink in the security armor of the Bush administration and you can be certain the media will have a field day. All of a sudden the main stream media will become Hawks and abandon their compassion for murderers in an attempt to foment rage against the administration. They will be successful, and I must say it is the President’s fault. He has even jeopardized Condoleezza Rice’s career by putting her out front in favor of this action.

I hate to say it but I think George Bush is getting tired. This is no surprise given what he has had to deal with for the last six years. Still, given Al Gore’s latest behavior we are lucky to have George. Al would most likely have UAE help Osama kill the rest of us. His pathetic pandering to the Saudis is an example of what his policies would have been.

George Bush will back down on the issue of the ports and the loss will not be so great because there is bi-partisan outrage. The next problem facing him will be anger among our Arab allies and from the left no matter who is chosen to administer the ports.