The UAE Port Deal Debate
Charles Johnson
Wed Feb 22, 2006 at 9:32 am PST • Views: 260
Jim Geraghty says we’ve been snookered by Schumer, and that the UAE port deal is not a security problem because the Coast Guard will still be responsible for securing the ports.
But Michelle Malkin isn’t buying it:
Missing. The. Point. The issue is not whether day-to-day, on-the-ground conditions at the ports would change. They presumably wouldn’t. The issues are whether we should grant the demonstrably unreliable UAE access to sensitive information and management plans about our key U.S ports, which are plenty insecure enough without adding new risks, and whether the decision process was thorough and free from conflicts of interest.
The Journal and the Bush administration make no persuasive case that it was.
(The Washington Times adds that “company officials would be briefed on security procedures and countermeasures that, if compromised, could allow foreign terrorists to get through various screening procedures.” Moreover, while the Coast Guard is responsible for port security, tracking ships, crews and cargo and search vessels based on intelligence, “there is no cohesive hiring or screening process for port workers.”)
Frank says: