Lawmakers Vow Not to Force Quick Port Vote

This is because the Bushbots made a pact with Dear Leader over the weekend. They promised to let him have his way if he makes it look like he’s actually looking into the deal (because we’re all supposed to believe that he didn’t know about it until last week). All he has to do is wait 45 days and say he’s investigating DP World and all will be good. That will certainly be enough to shut the American people up. We are, afterall, a bunch of blithering idiots.

Congressional Republicans and Democrats on Tuesday tempered calls for an immediate vote to block a Dubai-based company’s takeover of some U.S. port operations as President Bush prodded them to avoid a confrontation.

Over the weekend, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., brokered a deal between the company and the Bush administration to agree to a new investigation of security issues related to DP World’s plan to assume significant operations at six U.S. ports.

Some lawmakers aren’t so happy with this deal and are actually a little leery of the deal makers. Of course they too are only trying to look tough. If you look closely and cross your eyes you’ll notice that there really isn’t any intent to go through with their threats.

Some lawmakers, though, warned they would move forward with legislation if the upcoming 45-day investigation of security issues was cursory. Bills relating to the issue are piling up, but there are no plans for votes on any so far.

Rep. Peter King , chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, said his legislation could give Congress an opportunity to block the deal if lawmakers are dissatisfied with the results of the security review. But he suggested he would not urge an immediate vote on it.

“It has to be a weapon held in reserve to ensure there is a real investigation,” King, R-N.Y., told the Associated Press.

It’s nice to see that they’re playing lip service. We can’t be looking to soft on national security after all of these years of continuously using 9/11 to further our own agenda. We have to find some way that this won’t come back to bite us in the ass in November. (They’re just getting so worn out with everything else the president and his henchmen are screwing up.)

Bush makes no bones about the fact that this deal is going through regardless.(Ok, I’m reading into it) He also lets slip that any investigation is going to be cursory at best and we’re just all out of luck on this one. Afterall, he always gets his way.

Although the new investigation has yet to begin, the president said he still supports DP World’s plan to assume control of operations now handled by a British company.

“My position hasn’t changed,” Bush said after an Oval Office meeting with Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.

Bush, the final arbiter of the new investigation, suggested there was no reason to think it would produce any different outcome than the government’s initial review and urged Congress to be careful.

“What kind of signal does it send throughout the world if it’s OK for a British company to manage the ports but not a company that has been secured â€” that has been cleared for security purposes â€” from the Arab world?” he asked.

In an interview later with ABC News, Bush said he would stand by the deal, adding, “The only way it won’t happen is if there is a true security threat to the United States of America.”

Sorry, folks, about wasting your money on an “investigation” because, well, come hell or high water Dear Leader still gets his deal. But, wait! I think a couple of Dems might have found those balls they’ve been looking for recently.

“Let’s have a real investigation and a vote here in the Senate,” said Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev. “What the president has agreed to is no review.”

“If the investigation proves to be a charade, if it’s not truly independent and thorough, then the bipartisan legislation that we introduced yesterday will pass through the Senate and the House like a hot knife through butter,” Sen. Charles Schumer , D-N.Y., said.

How they plan on knowing if it’s thorough and independent is beyond me. I mean, BushCo is so good at keeping secrets from Congress. It’s sad when our Congressional leaders find out things like this through the media and still believe the president will keep them in the loop. Will they ever learn? Perhaps they don’t really care about national security at all. Maybe it’s just that they’re feelings are hurt because they weren’t let in on the secret.

Sen. Trent Lott, R-Miss., said the White House was “slow to react” to the criticism. Lott also called the president’s threat last week to veto legislation Congress passed “very unwise.” “It offended me. He threatened me,” Lott added.

At least he’s honest about that. Won’t stop him from keeping in line with the other Bushbots though. Looks like we’re back to business as usual, folks. We should call this one the Teflon Prez, ‘cuz nothin’ sticks to him.

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