John LeBoutillier
Wednesday, March 1, 2006

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The political effects stemming from this disastrous port deal will reach all the way to the November congressional elections – and maybe even to the 2008 elections, too. Here is how:

1) President Bush, with an all-time new low approval rating today of a staggering 34 percent, is so weakened that he can no longer control his own Republicans on Capitol Hill. They are in open revolt over this Dubai Ports deal.

2) The Bush White House is reeling from one screw-up to the next. Two weeks ago it was the gross mismanagement of the media operations and dissemination of information in the White House over the Cheney hunting accident; last week came this port problem, which is fracturing the GOP – and uniting the Democrats.

The level of incompetence is staggering. How could the staff let Bush speak to reporters about the port deal without everything being tied up neat and clean? To have a now admittedly ignorant–on-the-issue president threaten his own party with a veto is stunning. And it got everyone's backs up – and has soured things within the GOP in Washington.

3) This 45-day review is a total sham. Already, on the very first day, we learn that the Coast Guard had doubts about the deal. And then the White House rushes in to discount that. In 45 days nothing politically will have changed: the same 70 percent of the American people who today do not want Dubai Ports World to manage these 21 terminals are not going to want it then, either.

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And any Republican member of the House or Senate who flip-flops like the constant flip-flopper Senator Bill Frist (who is not running for re-election this year and has absolutely no prayer for 2008 in the presidential race) is going to get nailed in November. True, only a third of the Senate is up for re-election this year, so many senators can reverse field and not have to worry about the wrath of voters this year.

4) If Bush prevails and this deal somehow goes through the GOP will pay a heavy price in November. We will have surrendered our advantage over the weak-kneed Democrats on the subject of "who can defend the nation better." Can't you just see the TV commercials showing Bush and the Republicans allowing an Arab government to control our ports?

Now let's get to some of the potential 2008 candidates:

John McCain is so desperate to heal up his rift with the Right that he has – once again – made the wrong decision. McCain has sided with Bush on this – and thus put him at odds with 58 percent of the Republicans and 70 percent of the American people.

He also has shown himself to have bad political instincts. Rather than hoping for a Bush endorsement in 2008 and access to Bush's fundraising list, McCain should lead the country away from compromising our security by having an Arab government in any way involved with our domestic ports.

Hillary immediately got to the right of Bush, McCain and the entire GOP on this. It won't help her much in the long run, because the dye is cast for her: All minds have been made up on her for years. Nothing she does can change anyone's mind.

Bill Frist is a total joke. He is all over the map on everything. He already is backing off on opposing the port deal. But he will go nowhere after leaving the Senate.

George Allen is the sleeper 2008 GOP candidate. But I think he, too, has been too cautious on this port deal. I guess he thinks being quiet and behind the scenes is the way to go right now.

Rudy Giuliani also is leaning toward supporting Bush on this deal – at his own political peril. This is his kind of issue and he should have seized it and run with it – thus shoring up his credentials and endearing himself to the Right, which has problems with him on social issues.

Conclusion: This ports deal is dirty business – all done in secret, with untold other revelations sure to come.

The fact that our elected leaders – from the president on down – did not know of this until radio host Mike Savage broadcast it tells us something profound: There are all these committees and sub-Cabinet groups that make so many decisions than none of us ever know about. What other equally horrendous deals have been allowed that we haven't heard of?

Prediction: this issue further sours the American public on government and politics – and makes 2008 ripe for the taking by a candidate advocating change – not more of the same.

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