Re: Daily Show on Dubai
Marta Russell wrote:
OK but its too bad he didn’t follow the Dubai corporation money angle instead. Who is profiting from the sale of what could be analogous to our national parks?
They’re not selling anything except the management of the ports. The ports remain the property of their respective owners.
DPW is pretty connected though. Here’s an excerpt from a WashTimes story http://www.washtimes.com/national/20060223-123443-6892r_page2.htm:
DPW Chief Operating Officer Ted Bilkey told CNN yesterday that
his company will do anything necessary to get the deal done. He confirmed that former Sen. Bob Dole, Kansas Republican, has been hired as a congressional liaison for the company. Mr. Dole works for Atlanta-based law firm Alston & Bird LLP, whose Washington office also includes former Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle, South Dakota Democrat. Washington-based Downey McGrath Group Inc. also is part of DPW’s high-powered team of lobbyists and consultants. Two former House members from New York, Democrat Thomas Downey and Republican Raymond McGrath, are the principals. Rep. Eric Cantor, Virginia Republican, said that Mr. Bush remains the leader on national security but that opposing the ports deal is “a no-brainer.” “I am totally in opposition to a company controlled by the UAE having access and running, managing our ports,” he said. “Frankly, I think the UAE has demonstrated it wants to be selective in terms of its position in the war on terror. Where are they in terms of Hamas and the West Bank and what’s going on in that conflict?” he said. Two of the September 11 hijackers were from the United Arab Emirates. Dubai, one of the emirates, has served as an operations and financial center for al Qaeda terrorists. Sen. John W. Warner, Virginia Republican and chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, will hold an “open briefing” today for members of Congress and the press to hear directly from administration officials why they are not concerned about the deal. Mr. Warner said after meeting earlier this week with Mr. Rumsfeld and others that the Bush administration has a case to be made. Although he said his concerns about the deal were not necessarily appeased during his meeting in Mr. Rumsfeld’s office, he said news stories are overlooking important facts. “The UAE is a major partner of the United States in the war on terror,” he said. “More U.S. ships call on their ports for action in Afghanistan and Iraq than anywhere else. They make available a major portion of their airfields for U.S. planes.” Mr. Snow has a more personal connection to the Dubai company. CSX Corp., which Mr. Snow led until 2002, sold its Hong Kong and South American port operations to DPW in 2004 for $1.15 billion. Several senior DPW executives, including the general counsel and the head of business development, worked at CSX with Mr. Snow.