Joe Scott 3: The Body Politic

W. Loses His Groove

09 March 2006 |permalink | email article

The Financial Timesí headline said it all about the collapse of the Dubai Ports World deal: ìArab Ally Senses Bush No Longer in Control in Washington.î The president may not be a lame duck yet but Congress has asserted itself; Republicans are no longer rubber-stamps; and Democrats get a midterm boost.

My previous posts - (2.19); (2.22); (2.26); and (2.28) ñ made the point that, aside from the firestorm over the pre-9/11 connection the United Arab Emirates had with Osama bin Ladin, the real national security issue involves container inspection. Foreign companies manage most of the terminals at American ports, and foreign governments control some. The Dubai fiasco, still unravelling, is another case of a tired administration and president asleep at the switch.

The two busiest ports in terms of cargo value in the billions ñ Los Angeles and Long Beach ñ lease space to foreign operators. At the former, China, Japan, Taiwan, Singapore and Denmark; Japan, South Korea and Hong Kong at the latter.

Itís absurd to assert that inspection of containers by the Coast Guard and U.S. Customs and Border Protection is really effective regardless of who operates the terminals. The reality is that the level of inspection is no more than 5% and, in the case of the Department of Homeland Security, reportedly about 1%.

In foreign ports, there is little sophisticated surveillance of container cargo headed for U.S. ports which could contain weapons of mass destruction. DHS spent about $1.6 billion on port security in FY 2005.

As with U.S. troops, proper protection at the ports matters. Consider that as the U.S. begins its fourth year in Iraq, the annual cost of military spending is growing. Monthly expenditures there are running at $5.9 billion. The U.S. commitment in Afghanistan ñ now zooming out of control - is about $1 billion.

The major domestic issue in the midterm elections must be to divert some of those billions into real homeland security at the ports. While nervous Republicans are jumping into lifeboats and rowing away from a sinking W., fumbling Democrats should seize the moment - and the issue.