When I wrote last Thursday that Bush was putting the oil business above National Security, I may have been wrong. It seems more likely that he’s putting the aircraft business above national security.
The answer to the question of why Bush seems to be so passionate about Dubai being allowed to operate our major seaports might just have something to do with Emirates Airlines, owned by the government of Dubai. The administration has been pushing foreign governments to buy from Boeing rather than its only significant competitor, Airbus. In the case of Emirates Airline, they were successful.
In November, According to the National Review, Dubai's government airline, agreed to purchase 42 Boeing 777s for $9.7 billion, with an option for 20 more planes. That is one of the largest purchases of commercial aircraft ever, and it may have been the most important foreign sale made by an American company last year.
Let’s set aside the rhetoric about using trade to spread freedom. It’s about money; it’s about quid pro quo. This sale would be important for our struggling export market and using the port management deal as a bargaining chip is nothing more than business as usual.
What’s less than usual is the way this administration railroads the country into accepting the administrations actions. I can find no fault with being a booster for American industry, but I do find fault with bypassing rules and regulations and security reviews, acting in secret and making up fake stories and ignoring security concerns such as have been raised by the US Coast Guard. It’s another instance of King George arrogating authority and snubbing the peasants; making a decision and then “fixing the facts” around it.
5 comments:
Things make so much more sense now.
yeah.
i'm wondering why congressional review isn't required under the commerce clause.
but i can see why bush wants to sell as much as he can to other countries. he gets a new record trade deficit just about every month.
China has been playing Boeing and Airbus off against each other for the past few years. The Chinese told Boeing they would feel more loyal to them if they showed their love for China by allowing the Chinese a role in the plane manufacturing process. And voila -Boeing parts are now manufactured in China.
I wouldn't be surprised if Dubai is doing the same thing. Indeed, they would be pretty stupid not to.
Well said.
It's so arrogantly obvious that I still don't understand why it's taking so many people so long to see the arrogant, can't be bothered attitude of this guy and his VP. But, finely, fainly, I'm hearing whispers questioning the emperor's wardrobe - or lack thereof. We can hope.
I wish the administration would pay more attention to promoting US products abroad. It's the "you can't handle the truth" attitude; the secrecy, the underhandedness and the dishonesty I hate.
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