Batfink's Beep -- 02-27-06

Running scared

February 27, 2006

Well, that certainly didn't take long: The Dems are starting to realize that they may be in yet another trap with the Dubai thing. They're not admitting it, but it comes out in their writing. Witness the article by one Terrence Samuel, writing for the American Prospect. Poor Mr. Samuel can't decide if he wants to spin to the GOP, crow on behalf of the left, or warn the Dems. So he rolls all 3 into one incredibly incoherent article. Spin is one thing, but this is multiple personality disorder.

He comes out of the gate swinging a partisan axe for all he's worth:

I knew Republicans were scared about the November midterms, but it was not until the theatrical uproar over the Dubai Ports World deal that it became clear exactly how scared they are, and how much they feel a need to separate themselves from their president.

...And that, as far as it goes, is a partisan sentiment that he is perfectly entitled to, assuming one is able to figure he actually believes it. Whether this notion actually holds any water I'll get to in a moment. For now, let's figure he wants US to believe it. So the reader is getting ready for some good old fashioned lefty spin. And, having a good sense of humor and a strong stomach, I mush on. He soon takes a potshot at Bush, too, calling not knowing something that it isn't his job to know (it's the Department of the Treasury's) being 'out of the loop'.

So what's behind all this vigorous partisan pre-emption? Well, for one thing, for someone who's gloating about GOP fear, he betrays more than a little of his own:

Against that backdrop, it would have been hard for [the Dems] to resist the revelations about an Arab, state-owned company running American ports, but they should have. The story reeks. At best it is a tale of rank political opportunism on the part of both Republicans and Democrats; at worst it is a monumental instance of racial profiling. Both sides are calculating that American voters are going to react poorly to the idea of Dubai Ports World operating in American shipping terminals. Even if they are right, it is a cynical calculation. And more than likely, they will be proven wrong. Americans have grown used to the idea of rich foreigners running big U.S. operations.

So if the political battle turns into a face-off between a principled, if out-of-the-loop, president and a politically opportunistic Congress, it’s not going to be hard to pick the winner.

Hmm. So let's see if I have this straight so far: while the GOP is running scared, doing their best to make the most of an opportunity to run from the President, Mr. Samuel is worried that it will work out just fine for the terrorized GOP after all.

Mr. Samuel must realize at this point that he tipped his hand just a wee bit, so he tries to get back to rah-rahing, if a little unconvincingly:

For Democrats, the good news is that they have options, and not especially bad ones. First, they could do nothing, shut up, and let the GOP fear machine run its course. Worried, over-reacting Republicans, acting as though their president is leading them off the cliff, is as good a situation as the Dems can hope for. Especially when the GOP seems to be on a warpath against their party's own president.

He seems to be trying awfully hard to believe that, and makes much of Peter King 'throwing down the gauntlet' to the Administration. But if I know better, he probably does, too; and here's how I know: Peter King isn't feeling all that confident about the way the winds are blowing lately. Mr. King, who Terry Samuel quotes as saying "I will fight harder than ever for [anti-Dubai] legislation", is now crying that Rush Limbaugh, of all people, is having success convincing regular Republicans out here that the deal can be saved. Wow, isn't he Mr. Confident, for someone who was supposedly leading a principled revolt against his own President. Sounds to me like he misjudged the political winds, and is getting cold feet about it.

After all, whether you can credit Rush Limbaugh (whoever he is) with it or not, people who, on reflection, are becoming convinced that sufficient safeguards and strings on the UAE are in place, probably aren't being scared into believing it. What it tells me is, that the media-fed hysteria is dissipating as more information comes out. This may be what has motivated Mr. Samuel of the American Prospect to bang out his article.

So his next move is to peddle some talking points for his soon-to-be-beleaguered-again compatriots:

If for some reason, Democrats find it impossible to stay in their corner on this one, they ought to focus on issues of governing that allowed the president not to know that shipping operations at the largest East Coast ports were being sold to foreign investors.

Here's a not particularly secret tip for the worried Mr. Samuel: The port is currently being run by a British firm, which, last I knew, was also foreign.

The article wraps up with what was supposed, I think, to be a flash of bravado -- a sarcastic "who's scared now?"... but it looks like the joke is on him. And the best part is, he knows it.

top

Visitors since Dec 1, 2005:

Revised: 05/19/08 08:07:08 -0400 .