Dubai-bye (sort of)

Well, the port deal appears to be dead, although what US entity is going to be able to manage the ports is unclear (Halliburton, come back from the Middle East, we need you!) I would suggest that the US entity be the US government, and we actually start to roll back the constant privatization of our national security hotspots. But that's just me. The other question is whether or not the UAE will still profit from the port management, i.e. set up a subsidiary corporation based in the US, and have money funneled back to them through it. It looks increasingly like that's what will happen.

From a political standpoint, when the House Appropriations Committee votes 62-2 to block the deal, you know it's done. I suppose the Administration could have used the fact that one Democrat and one Republican voted against blockage to suggest that the deal has "bipartisan support," but that would've lasted only a couple days, right?

Of course, this will be seen as a victory for Congressional Republicans, since the Democrats brought it up and hammered it long before they came on board.

Like the good White House lickspittle that he is, CNN correspondent John King tells us that sadly, "the facts" were overwhelmed on this one:

The passions in this debate are overwhelming what some say are the facts. And many say the facts support going forward with this deal. But I'll tell you, Miles, in politics, as you well know, sometimes the passions and the emotions can overwhelm any factual discussion. And that may be what we have here.

That there was demagoguing on both sides of the issue is no doubt. But to use the "many say" Fox News-patented canard to suggest that there's no concerns whatsoever about this deal is ridiculous. The Coast Guard had problems with it. DHS had problems with it. The guy who approved the deal didn't even take a vote (read this whole thing for a primer on that dude).

Many say that John King is a serial child molester who feasts on baby flesh. Many think that is true. That may be what we have here. (but I didn't say definitely, you you can't prove I think it)