The Port Deal

I've read the arguments pro and con.

There are compelling arguments on both sides.

The UAE government has been more than cooperative with the US.

Two of the 9/11 hijackers came from UAE.

Some of them also lived in Germany.

The general population of UAE may have a different position on the US than the UAE government has.

The UAE company won't be responsible for port security.

The company's employees may make our own security more difficult....

The arguments go back and forth. In the end, it does make me a bit uncomfortable. I understand the concerns of the critics. I feel them myself.

But I'm going to have to go back to another argument I've used before and feel I have no choice but to use in situations like this. And that is, there is a bunch of stuff going on behind the scenes that we cannot and should not know about at this time. I know that's not ideally how things should work, but that's the way they have to work in the real world.

I don't think for a split second that George Bush & Co. are oblivious to the concerns and red flags. They are probably more aware than we are of specific, actual risks that might even make our hair curl. The fact is, though, that they understand the big picture far better than we can. If the deal did not come with far more pros than cons for America and its security in the long term, deep down I have faith that Bush wouldn't be adamant about his support for the deal.

Hell, even Clinton and [shudder] Carter are for the deal. If this position were something to be used against Bush, you know darned well Carter would be on that bandwagon, bashing him over the head with it like some heavy blunt object.

Something's going on behind the scenes. We will find out what it is one day. For now, I have to trust the President.