Am I the only one who noticed?

I keep this in the back of my head because it really is the only time I've agreed ever with the Bush Administration. It irks me that there is even one time, but still.

Remember last March when Congress and the Amurrican media were all bent out of shape about the Dubai Ports Deal? And how it was exposing us to possible terruh to have foreign (oh let's just say it, ARAB! ARAB! ARAB!) ownership of entities related to port security?

I wrote about this here, but let me save you a click:

...we don't have to worry about any actual citizen of Dubai working at one of our ports. They don't work. Work is for Pakistanis and East Indians, who are shipped into Dubai to do the work. Dubai citizens shop, because they have lots of money to shop with. There's a reason Calvin Klein opened a private boutique in Dubai. He can make money there. Lots of it....

Well now there are two interesting developments. First, news that really matters to citizens of Dubai, they've got a brand new second Marks and Spencer store. That's "Marks and Sparks," Congressman, not "mass destruction."

Shee-it.

But the other thing, that I think is so funny, is that the Dubai folks, seeing a public relations quagmire that was just going to lose them money, decided to quickly and quietly sell the US Ports division to an American company, which, no doubt, will someday be bought up by a Chinese or Saudi or South African country, not to worry, so long as it doesn't affect the Dubai's ability "Dubai" Calvin Klein at Marks and Sparks. Get it?

Enter the Port Authority of New Jersey. They now say they've fixed up the place, and if Dubai wants to sell, they'll have to pony up the fee, reportedly, oh, 84 million dollars, for the "Flip That House" makeover.

But wait a minute. TWELVE MONTHS AGO "U.S. lawmakers said they feared giving a state-owned Arab company control of U.S. port terminals would threaten national security." Frist and Hastert introduced the legislation objecting to the deal.

Waitaminit waitaminit waitaminit. And DON'T tell Neil Cavuto.

This Arab company has had control of U.S. port terminals since last March! And the sale that's gonna put it under the control of good old safe not sorry Uncle Sam is now at risk over some outrageous renovation fees? 'Cause, you know, that's gonna cost the Dubai folks, and they never agreed to pay out. It's a sale, that means a flow of income TO Dubai, and that's how Dubai likes it.

I don't need to mention that United Arab Emirates, home of Dubai, is "a U.S. ally and frequent port of call for American warships." Ahem.

The CEO Dubai guy, Mohammed Sharaf, is calling our bullshit big time:

"In this case, the U.S. should be accommodating the deal if they are really concerned about security. They asked us to leave because of security concerns and now they are delaying the deal," Sharaf said.

Pffft. They've operated the ports FOR A YEAR, people. Plenty of time to plan an attack on THEIR OWN PROPERTY, WHILE IT IS BEING RENOVATED BY THE JERSEY PORT AUTHORITY.

It's okay. Breathe in. Breathe out. I've been doing it all day. I guess we shouldn't be surprised when the Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee really doesn't know the diff between a Sunni and a Shia...

Look. I may never get a teaching job, but I can write a lesson plan:



Exhibit A: Might be a terrorist. Also might be from Texas, Mister President.

Exhibit B: Definitely dudes from Dubai, photographed during, and no, I am not making this up, the Annual Dubai Shopping Festival, which is a 45 day international "event."

Please note, the loud siren sound you hear is the BG/BS Alarm System going off. It sounds anytime, anywhere, someone mentions a "shopping event," or for that matter, "a television event." There. It's off now.

Speaking of the Dubai dudes above, yeah, the guy on the right is pissed that the guy on the left got the last white headscarf at Saks Fifth Avenue. What? You think there isn't a Saks in Dubai? Love the gold robes, guys. They say "Spring" to me.