White House agrees to brief GOP leader Frist as it scrambles to save Dubai port deal

http://rawstory.com/news/2005/White_..._GOP_0222.html

Published: February 22, 2006

White House officials were expected to brief national security advisers to Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) today, hoping to squelch increased opposition on Capitol Hill to approval of a port management contract for a company based in the United Arab Emirates, a senior GOP aide told ROLL CALL Wednesday.

Excerpts:

The staff-level briefing comes as the White House continues a vigorous defense of its decision to permit Dubai Worldwide Ports to undertake a contract to manage a number of U.S. ports.

The controversy emerged because of high concerns that U.S. seaports, where not every shipment is thoroughly inspected, could be an entry point for terrorists or weapons of mass destruction. Although the Coast Guard is charged with securing American waters — and while customs officials control the importation of goods — companies that manage ports generally have significant security duties between the waterline and the facility’s fence line.

Late Tuesday, President Bush questioned the motivation of Congressional critics, hinting that complaints about the contract appear to be motivated out of fear of Arabs or Muslims.

Meanwhile, via AFP:

The White House scrambled to rescue a deal giving a state-run Arab firm control of operations at six major US ports and to limit the political fallout from the controversial arrangement.

President George W. Bush's chief spokesman, Scott McClellan, said Bush had only learned about the deal "over the last several days," once it was completed, saying questions about it "didn't rise to the presidential level."

But "the counterterrorism experts looked at it. The intelligence community did an assessment to make sure that there was no national security threat," McClellan told reporters.

One Republican congressional aide, who requested anonymity, said the White House should have realized that the agreement raised uncomfortable questions about national security -- a key issue ahead of November legislative elections.