Dubai company set to run U.S. ports has ties to administration

[kpete]

Posted on Tue, Feb. 21, 2006

Dubai company set to run U.S. ports has ties to administration
BY MICHAEL MCAULIFFNew
York Daily NewsWASHINGTON -

The Dubai firm that won Bush administration backing to run six U.S. ports has at least two ties to the White House.

One is Treasury Secretary John Snow, whose department heads the federal panel that signed off on the $6.8 billion sale of an English company to government-owned Dubai Ports World - giving it control of Manhattan's cruise ship terminal and Newark's container port.

Snow was chairman of the CSX rail firm that sold its own international port operations to DP World for $1.15 billion in 2004, the year after Snow left for President Bush's cabinet.

The other connection is David Sanborn, who runs DP World's European and Latin American operations and who was tapped by Bush last month to head the U.S. Maritime Administration.

The ties raised more concerns about the decision to give port control to a company owned by a nation linked to the Sept. 11 hijackers.


http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/politics/13922695.htm

[htuttle]

1. C'mon Michael McAuliff, note the final link in the chain

If the UAE is connected to the 9/11 hijackers, and the Bush admin is connected to the UAE, then...

...the Bush admin is connected to the hijackers. Yes?

[panader0]

2. I would have been shocked if there weren't any connections

[JDPriestly]

3. Wow! That's a serious sell-out of American security interests.

I understand they are going to try to buy off Hillary Clinton next. This is a good one for those of us who do not want Hillary to run for president to watch. I would not expect her to sell out in a real obvious way. We will know she has made a deal for those Dubai Dollars if she just kind of shifts her focus away from this very powerful issue. Let's watch her on this one. It's the test of her patriotism, of her integrity, and, by proxy, of that of the self-styled "moderate" Democrats. Let's don't let Hillary and the "moderates" get away with a sell out on this one. This issue is just too important for the security and wellbeing of Americans.

[Lerkfish]

4. this fits in nicely with a this thread:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=478852&mesg_id=478852

[SillyGoose]

5. Am I reading this right? Snow was chairman of the firm who sold its

port operations to DP and then also oversaw the Treasury Dept. whose panel approved the sale? I really hope I am reading this wrong.

[WePurrsevere]

6. It's early but I read it the same way. That would also constitute a

conflict of interest.

With all this admin has done it's very difficult to keep track of it all. Lately I've been seriously feeling the need for a "cheat sheet" synopsis of all the "drips" and downright hurricanes of BS, illegal activity, etc.

[SillyGoose]

7. If we're reading it right I can't even figure how it would be legal

and, I agree, its a huge conflict of interest. With all this talk about rampant corruption lately and competing plans by dems and reps to curtail it, I would hope this type of scenario is included. I'll give this Administration credit for one thing - they never fail to shock and amaze with their schemes. Just when I think I've heard it all, along comes a story like this one.

It will be interesting to see if any of the MSM newscasts cover this particularly slimy aspect of the ports deal.

[WePurrsevere]

8. It would be amazing if the MSM picks it up. They should sadly they've

forgotten how to truly do the job the public expects of them... impartially report ALL of the news.

It does seem like there's something new with this admin every day doesn't it? I just keep hoping something will finally STICK and wake America and the media whores up to the fact that they've been had. Geesh and they called Bill Clinton "Slick" ... Bush makes Bill Clinton look like a saint.