Joe Scott 3: The Body Politic

Red-Flag Port Warning Ignored

27 February 2006 |permalink | email article

A just released Dec. 13 intelligence assessment by the U.S. Coast Guard of Dubai Ports World and its United Arab Emirates owners raises new questions about the White House deal.

ìThere are many intelligence gaps, concerning the potential for DPW or P&O assets to support terrorist operations, that precludeî the completion of a thorough threat assessment of the merger. ìThe breath of the intelligence gaps also infer potential unknown threats against a large number of potential vulnerabilities.î

The Coast Guardís red-flag warning was completed just over a month before the six-port deal received government approval Jan. 17, with W. out of the loop. Before a bipartisan uproar, the deal was to become effective this week.

Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), Senate Homeland Security Chairwoman, asked, ìHow could there not have been the 45-day investigation thatís clearly required by law?

Is it any wonder that W.ís approval ratings have reached an historic low?

Arnold’s Makeover: Is It Credible?

26 February 2006 |permalink | email article

Arnold Schwarzenneger was elected as a bipartisan reform governor. But the defeat of his special-election reform initiatives last fall places his re-election prospects in jeopardy. Wounded, with a 35% approval rating, can he still snatch victory from defeat?

After pandering to the right wing, the makeover Republican is headed back to the center where his winning margin in 2003 came from Democrats and independents. Over the weekend he addressed a state GOP convention in San Jose with delegates unhappy with his hiring of liberal Democratic strategist Susan Kennedy as chief of staff and strategist.

Aping the late Democratic Gov. Pat Brown, he again pitched his $222 billion infrastructure package to rebuild roads, schools, waterways and flood systems ñ calculated to help him regain support from constituencies he lost last year ñ while asserting a traditional GOP boldness ìto take the people forward.î

On NBCís ëMeet the Pressí Sunday, an ebullient Schwarzenegger refused to say heís running as a Bush Republican but rather as an ‘Arnold Republican’ to serve everyoneî - asserting the state is better off than four years ago.

On an ominous note, his biggest convention applause line was not about borrowing billions to rebuild the stateís public works. It was mention of conservative Sen. Tom McClintock, his main GOP 2003 opponent in the recall campaign. That McClintock, a candidate for lieutenant governor, disagrees with Schwarzenegger on many policies demonstrates just how much the governor needs 80% of the party vote to win. The governor said he has it now, but MTP moderator Tim Russert correctly said it is just 66%, to an inaudible reply.

Schwarzenneger trails two Democrats, state Treasurer Phil Angelides and state Controller Steve Westly; women are skeptical about him; and Bushís unpopularity hurts him with Democrats and independents with Latinos, in a switch, leaning heavily Democratic in early polls.

The governorís has also hired two White House operatives, Matthew Dowd, who engineered both Bush presidential wins, and Steve Schmidt, the former media ìartillery shellî for Dick Cheney and Samuel Alito. Badly trailing multimillionaires Angelides and Westly in fundraising, the governor has Sen. John McCain, the champion of campaign finance reform, headlining a March 20 dinner. Head table seating with the incumbent starts at 100 grand.

Schwarzeneggerís best hope may be a Democratic donnybrook that will leave the winner vulnerable. Ironically, often contradictory reporting by the print media and quotes from academic pundits suggest the Democratic contenders inspire little passion. That said, the governor is not an even-money bet today.

It’s About Container Security, Stupid!

26 February 2006 |permalink | email article

Intense political debate continues over approval of the White House deal for a Dubai-owned company to take over operations at U.S. ports. But Sunday TV chat confirms there is no serious debate over container security, the core problem.

Critics worry terrorists could infiltrate the company; ex-colleagues lobby Congress for approval; W., who considers United Arab Emirates a close ally, despite past connections between 9/11 hijackers and UAE, suggests criticism of Arab ownership may have racial overtones.

The discussion should be more nuanced. In fact, foreign management of the American ports in not new as the role played by companies in China, Japan, Taiwan, Singapore and European trading partners - and not government owned - illustrates. The ineffective argument by the White House is that port security is the responsibility of the Coast Guard and Custom officials. That a failed Department of Homeland Security is now a major player in the port issue is, after Katrina, chilling.

The UAE deal plays directly into 9/11 fears and the specter of terrorists from the Middle East penetrating U.S. port defenses as an episode of ì24,îthe celebrated Fox television drama graphically demonstrated a year or so ago.

A New York Times analysis (2/23) suggests the Bush administrationís real port problem is how long it has taken the federal government to set and enforce security standards - and to provide the technology to look inside millions of containers that flow through them. Only 4% or 5% of those containers are inspected and there is virtually no standard for how containers are sealed. (Today’s report from Dubai in the NYT describes gamma-ray scanner devices inside containers at the port as “antiterrorism measures still far short of what is needed to ensure security, U.S. auditors and maritime experts say.”

Stephen E. Flynn, a retired Coast Guard commander and port security expert on the Council of Foreign Relations, describes the real fear if a nuclear weapon is put inside a container:  ìIt will probably happen when some truck driver is paid off to take a long lunch, even before he gets to the terminal.î

With W., a president come lately on a critical issue - and his conservative base in rebellion over the port deal - the trump-card boast of Karl Rove ñ ìDemocrats are pre-9/11, Republicans post-9/11î ñ is now oh so yesterday. The party opposite momentarily appears more hawkish in the polls on security issues ñ a turnover of no small consequence in Election 2006.