Abizaid Criticizes Port Deal Opponents ("Arab and Muslim bashing.")

[sabra]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/09/AR2006030902050.html

Abizaid Criticizes Port Deal Opponents
The Associated Press


WASHINGTON -- Gen. John Abizaid, the top U.S. commander in the Middle East, took an unusual step for a military leader Thursday, criticizing opposition to the attempted purchase of some U.S. port operations by a Dubai-owned company, calling it "Arab and Muslim bashing."

Abizaid, a grandson of Lebanese immigrants, and other military officials were asked about DP World's withdrawal from the deal as they left a briefing of lawmakers on Capitol Hill.

He said the United Arab Emirates, of which Dubai is a part, is vital to the military's stake in the Arabian Gulf region. The Navy heavily uses the port there.

"I am very dismayed by the emotional responses that some people have put on the table here in the United States that really comes down to Arab and Muslim bashing that was totally unnecessary," Abizaid, who just returned from Iraq for meetings in Washington, told reporters.

[yourout]

1. These people just don't get it........

I could not give a shit if it was Irish, British, Germans, Arabs, or Russians.

American Ports......American Workers.....American Management.

There is no reason for anything else.

[Sensitivity]

5. Which American companies are you talking about?

I have heard of no American company that had the expertize and technology to qualify
to bid for the P & O operation.

[yourout]

6. Actually I think government owned and operated ports would be best.

How do the large airports like LAX operate? Who owns LAX and the land it is on?

[Igel]

9. LAX is owned by the city.

And, strangely, is even *run* by the city. http://www.lawa.org/asm.cfm This doesn't mean every service is provided in-house; I think food service is farmed out, for example.

This arrangement resulted in quite a few tussles; LAX and the airports rake in money that's to be reserved for improvements, but whenever the city got into a tight fiscal bind in the '90s when I lived there there was political pressure to raid the cookie jar. Don't know if they ever did, but the airport management and the city goverment went to the mat a few times.

A number of airports are run by foreign companies, some by US companies. This is, of course, distinct from ownership.

Just as with the ports, foreign ownership of any of them is either unheard of or is vanishingly rare. That's one of the great bits of misinformation: that the ports were for sale. The number of reporters that got it right was, well, vanishingly rare. The ports that DPW would have managed were (mostly?) owned by their respective cities, management contracts had been assigned by competitive bidding to the British firm PO, and approval was most importantly granted by the cities themselves before receiving clearance from above.

[Psephos]

19. Try Halliburton, for one.

Foreign firms are *already* running American seaports, and airports as well (e.g., Indianapolis).

When Halliburton steps up to the plate as one of the few US firms qualified to bid, it will be due to uninformed whiners in both parties trashing something the US already does, and has done for a long time.

Thank you to all who decided that lumping all A-Rabs together was somehow neither prejudicial nor against US interests. I'm sure Boeing workers will join me in this show of gratitude, as UAE cancels a 10-billion-dollar order for 777s. The ripple-down effects in other sectors will be less easily quantified, but huge nonetheless. The rest of the world looks at this and says, "fuck those guys."

These are my opinions, nothing more, nothing less.

[IndianaGreen]

15. Then you should worry about the lack of an American merchant fleet!

Xenophobia is bipartisan when two out-of-touch political parties are desperate to score points. I wish there had been the same commitment to our civil liberties when these assholes voted for the PATRIOT Act extension.

I agree with Abizaid!

PS: I didn't hear too many people complain about British control of our ports, or the sale of the Indiana toll road to a European company.

We just love white people!

[magellan]

18. If I'm not mistaken

...British and other foreign control of our ports wasn't common knowledge until this deal came to light.

[IndianaGreen]

22. Our international airport in Indy is run by foreign company

as is a toll road in Illinois. If you want to talk about who controls critical infrastructure, you would have a legitimate issue for debate.

[Psephos]

23. Long Beach port in California is run by a Chinese firm, COSCO

So it's not even about trusting only white people, I guess.

I'm with you and Abizaid on this, IG.

Peace.

[magellan]

24. Uh...I'm not sure I read you.

Aren't our ports critical infrastructure?

[IndianaGreen]

32. As are our airports, highways, and transportation systems!

They are all part of our critical infrastructure, as is the fact that we lack a merchant navy and we have to rely on foreign flag shipping for everything.

The problem is the rampant Islamophobia that the Dubai has given rise to, while ignoring the real issue as to the behaviour of the owners of capital. This was nothing more than cheap political exploitation of an issue by Republicans fearful of losing their seats in November and by Democrats that found it easier to join in Arab bashing than in voting against the PATRIOT extension.

The only thing that will result out of this PR debacle is that corporations like Halliburton or the Carlyle Group will get the juicy port contract.

Our security will not be improved one iota by having a rapacious American corporation like Halliburton or Carlyle managing our ports. Their stockholders will be grateful, though!

[magellan]

34. I agree with all your points

Except "rampant Islamophobia".

Certainly there are Americans who are reacting like Pavlov's dogs because of BushCo's anti-Islam conditioning, and shame on them. But is there any reason to believe they're the majority, besides Bush** and the media trying to make out that they are? One thing we should know by now with this regime and their supporters is that the loudest voice rarely represents the will of the people. We should be on guard any time they go out of their way to give us that impression.

For that express reason I don't think it's useful to echo the superficial accusations of racism coming from Bush** and the media. They have motive for wanting to portray this as a racist issue; indeed, as you say, "The only thing that will result out of this PR debacle is that corporations like Halliburton or the Carlyle Group will get the juicy port contract."

There are legitimate reasons for Americans to be angered by the ports deal. Let's not help Bush** and his supporters ride roughshod over those concerns by validating their spin.

[Copperred]

31. gmab

Where have you been on the million of other sales....this IS a global economy and the only reasone this deal was stopped was because they were Arabs.

If you can't figure out and deal with the fact you live in a very VERY bigoted and racist society....go drink more coffee.

[The_Casual_Observer]

2. Abizaid's been doing some "Arab and Muslim bashing." for 3

years now. Only, he uses bullets and bombs.

[goforit]

13. Yes ....he is eating his own words. Don't bash, just bomb'em.

[ECH1969]

3. There is no way we should trust Arabs with our ports

Sorry General you are wrong.

[MetaTrope]

4. So has Abizaid been invited to one of Osama Bin Laden's hunting parties

Or is he just hoping the Dubai royal family can fix him up?

[msongs]

7. so how many muslims has gen. abizaid killed? or bush? and

what has this dubai thing got to do with muslim bashing?

as dana rohrbacher (R) said today, its just about a company that wants to "lease some dockspace and set up an office."

Msongs
www.msongs.com/democratsmugs.htm

[leftchick]

8. Abizaid needs to keep his yap shut until he is out!

Doesn't this violate a military code?

[Lost-in-FL]

20. Yes he does and he should be reprimanded...

He need to SHUT THE F* UP and clean up that mess in Iraq.

[Charlie Brown]

10. Meanwhile, his troops shoot and imprison Arabs each and every day

It's nice to see the commander of US forces in Iraq defending a corrupt dictatorship.

If Wes Clark had made comments like these, he would have lost his job.

On edit: Incidentally, Lebanon is hardly the same as the UAE. If you're going to assume that all Arab countries are alike (itself a racist insinuation), you may as well say that the US sanctions on Iraq were based on racism. Utterly ridiculous.

[pinto]

11. Lou Dobbs was amazed, rightly so, that a military official, in uniform

would make political comments on TV. I was half listening to the show, but his anger really caught my attention. He's right, it is way outta line.

[goforit]

14. And to watch Lieberman and Rumsfeld standing next to him......

was appalling.

Intimidation of Americans can inspire them to fight back.
They're threats are weak.

[saigon68]

29. Ah yes Sen Losermann (Dino) Conn

He is totally into the Chimps zipper

He needs a new set of knee-pads

[goforit]

12. Another anti-American General!!!.....Treasonous at best!!!

[Just Me]

16. Why the FUCK is Abizaid making a comment on political matters?!?!?!

He has no damned business doing that!!! :grr: MILITARY-INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX IS NOW COMPLETE!!! :grr:

[muriel_volestrangler]

30. 'Political matter'? There was me thinking it was a security matter

that's what most DUers have been saying. So, for you, it's not a matter of security in international trade (which the military can have meaningful views on); it's international politics. So the UAE is right to think that some Americans just don't like them.

[Blue_Tires]

17. i'm sorry, but

1. WHO the fuck even asked him?, and

2. Isn't he overstepping his bounds by speaking out on a political debate that has nothing to do with his job?

[Media_Lies_Daily]

21. Shut yer yap, General...nobody wants to hear your take.

[High Plains]

25. What a bunch of thoughtful replies on this thread.

Basically comes down to "We don't like what you said, so shut up."

[Hissyspit]

27. DUers have pretty good bullshit detectors overall and...

they get sick of it being spewed at them day after day after day.

[Hissyspit]

26. self-delete

[saigon68]

28. REPUKE MILITARY WAR CRIMINALS NOW INTO POLITICS

TO ABIZAID;

FUCK YOU YOU WAR CRIMINAL WHO THE FUCK VOTED FOR YOU

YOU BELONG AT THE HAGUE IN AN ORANGE JUMP SUIT.

[Roland99]

33. So, the Gen. thinks those in the WH are Arab and Muslim bashing?

I didn't think an active military commander could criticize the sitting President?

After all, the WH orchestrated a deal to stop the deal and sell the port operations to a US company.

[reclinerhead]

35. He shouldn't get away with that.

At the base I work at, one thing is drummed into our heads quite a bit: no politics. This makes me want to write a letter to his superior officer and demand a reprimand!

I am googling on my lunchbreak, but this seems to be the PAO office of his command:

Commander
U.S. Central Command
7115 South Boundary Boulevard
MacDill, AFB, FL 33621-5101 Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
DSN: 651-5895
E-Mail: [e-mail]

http://www.centcom.mil/sites/uscentcom1/default.aspx

P.S. for a techie note: What a sucky website! The entire thing seems built out of Sharepoint!

[reclinerhead]

36. Found a summary of the regs

The Hatch act applies to federal employees but Military adheres to slightly different rules.. found this:

"Political activity by members of the Armed Forces on active duty is governed by 10 USC Section 973 and DOD Directive 1344.10. Partisan political activity is that which supports or relates to candidates representing or issues specifically identified with national or State political parties and related organizations."

[Roland99]

39. He's skirting the issues the way pseudo-Christian churches skirt 501(c) 3

[RazzleDazzle]

37. Abizaid needs to butt out and stop carrying water for his

masters.

This is between the American People and their government. His opinions are worth absolutely nothing, and that would be true even if he were a GOOD American general, which he's not. He's a fawning sycophantic tool, pathetic and cheap.

[coalition_unwilling]

38. When will Abizaid's trial for war crimes begin? (eom)