Dubai Ports World and the "6" US ports deal

Today, the UAE has offered to delay portions of the deal. What most do not realize is that the deal actually would involve 21 US ports, and the fact that a foreign company (P&O of Britain) currently run the 6 at the forefront of the story.

The only real concerns here are:

1. relationships between the company and Bush Adminsitrations officials

2. grease money the company and the ruling family of the UAE have given to the Bush family

3. the $100 million in for "Katrina Relief" the UAE sent the US just before the ports deal was reviewed

4. the UAE will also control two ports where the United States Surface Deployment and Distribution Command [military equipment logistics] load and unload equipment

5. the fact that the internal security review on the deal was done by an agency that is only a few months old and run by William F. Dawson who began work at the Intelligence Community Acquisition Risk Center in the middle of January 06.

Dubai Ports World is one of the leading ports management firms in the world. Many merchant mariners say they feel more secure in ports managaed by DPW than those in the US.

The point is: This needs to be reviewed very carefully. Bush's first veto in 5 years shouldn't come from his brash (his press secretary said "he just learned about the deal a few days ago from the media")run into handing over our port security to a foreign firm.