But What Could POSSIBLY Go Wrong?


Based on what I've seen so far, it's pretty clear that the port deal is all about money and access--and scant regard for, ahem "personal responsibility" (see post below). Well...

Turns out--of course--that Monkeyboy-in-Chief had been distracted with bananas or bike rides or whatever the hell else they've tossed in his general direction...although he's been hooting/chattering/hurling rocks and sticks, and otherwise having a big old temper tantrum since it became clear "his" decision was about as popular as stepping in dog shit. Well, duh.

So, let's see: in a nutshell, the deal with Dubai is pretty much a quid pro quo: six of our ports for one of theirs. Guess they've got us--no pun intended--over a barrel. Nevermind that our "ally" UAE is sorta like our "ally" Pakistan is sorta like our "ally" Saudi Arabia, and nevermind Shrub's chest-thumping "you're either with us or 'gainst us" rhetoric, which, if nothing else, demonstrates pretty clearly that he DOES take his supporters for chumps: when the chips, um ships, are down, he's MORE than willing to be as "nuanced" as a freedom-fry lovin', red-state'ers worst nightmare of a Kerry administration. Shit, at this point, I wouldn't be surprised to see Smirk-Chimp break out in la langue francaise to defend "his" decision. And, who knows? The real cult of personality types might just break into a group "oui, oui," (though I'd be less surprised if the response was maybe a little more German).

As for them trotting out Rush Lamebone with his charges of "racism," all you have to do is consider the source (and here's hoping it's not too long before HE discovers what "personal responsibility" is all about).

This isn't racism, xenophopia, or anything of the sort. This is ultimately Team Bush lacking in rational judgement at a time when such judgement is sorely needed. Yet, we've seen, over and over again, the kind of behavior in the political arena that meshes perfectly with Big Time's behavior in Kenedy County: slipshod incompetence, arrogance, petulance, inattention--and anger about anyone daring to even question what is AT BEST questionable judgement, and potentially an open invite to lord knows what (like in Iraq, where I guess everyone's seen the latest news. You know, I'd love to take every last goddamned wingnut who barks out 'but they're better off now' and drop 'em down into the thick of things. If it's so fucking good, why aren't they dancing in Iraqi streets? Oh, and um, in case you haven't noticed, Team Bush's stupidity made a bad situation along the US Gulf Coast, oh, only about 50 times worse. Go figure).

As others noted today, bin Laden met at least once with members of the UAE royal family (who conveniently shielded him from a US attack in 1998), P&O's parent company is OWNED by the UAE government, the UAE government had cordial relations with the Taliban...but this is the kind of company Team Bush "can do business with."

Fanfuckingtastic. Cat Stevens & Robert Fisk can't enter the United States, Maher Arar gets told "tough shit about mistaking you for a terrorist", they've Guantanamo detainees languishing in captivity who they know haven't done a goddamned thing, but it'd be "embarrassing" to release them, they monitor telephone calls on a whim, not a warrant, back in 2004 the color code terror alert got bumped up to "Code Orange" pretty much whenever...but a country with KNOWN ties to 9/11 will be allowed to RUN major ports of entry...oh, and to top it all off, they STILL haven't come up with ANY plan for protecting or securing said ports, or inspecting offloaded cargo.

I mean, geez, you've gotta wonder: at home, does Shrub keep greasy rags in the garage, next to the rusty, leaky gas cans? Or is that all kept next to the house, under the eaves, covered with a sheet of visquine, but fully exposed to the afternoon sun? I wouldn't be surprised.