By Andrew L. Jaffee

It seems President Bush is hell-bent on squandering the political capital garnered in the 2004 elections. His administration’s decision to allow an Arab company to operate American ports has angered people on both sides of the isle. Anyone with a little bit of political savvy could’ve seen a potential firestorm coming, but Bush et al seem to have missed the boat. After the firestorm started, he remained insistent on sticking with his decision. At one time, his stubbornness would’ve been seen as tenacity, or sticking by principles, but as he repeats this modus operandi, it more and more looks like arrogance or silly intransigence… or political suicide. Here’s the latest:

The White House on Friday welcomed “a slight delay” of the contested deal for a state-owned Arab company to operate terminals at six U.S. ports but said it should still proceed. …

White House press secretary Scott McClellan said, “We believe it would be helpful to have some additional time to brief Congress on the facts.”

“Some additional time, or a slight delay, is the way I’d characterize it,” McClellan added. “It’s not up to us. It’s up to the company.”

This is the third president I’ve watched suffer through a second term in office. The same pattern seems to emerge. His popularity plummets, whether deservedly or not, as people like to complain more than they like to act, the grass is always greener, familiarity breeds contempt, etc., etc.

There’s a real problem this time: There is absolutely no alternative for 2008. The Democratic Party is in worse shape than it ever has been, and Republicans have gotten too used to holding power.

Will you vote for John Kerry, the communist, capitalist, pro-war, anti-war, libertarian, conservative, again? How about Howard Dean, who thinks Osama bin Laden is not necessarily such a bad guy? Vote for Hillary in 2008? After all, she’s been leading the charge against Bush’s UAE gaff.

I doubt it. Have we forgotten her power-happy grab to socialize the American health care system? And her term as a senator has been notable for absolutely nothing… except a whole lot of fence-straddling, in preparation for 2008, just to be sure no one really knows where she stands.

Her opposition to the UAE sale is simple, cynical opportunism (even though I support the legislation itself):

Senator Clinton of New York and her Democratic colleague Robert Mendez of New Jersey have introduced legislation to prohibit companies owned or controlled by foreign governments from buying U.S. ports operations. “Ports are the front lines of the war on terrorism,” Menendez said.

Doesn’t it seem strange that in the case of this incident, a Republican administration is crying bigotry while Democrats are advocating isolationism/protectionism? Now the Democrats are getting (or feigning) tough on terror? (Except for Joe Lieberman.) The tables are turned. Up is down and down is up.

Some alternative. As for Bush, can you say, “Harriet E. Miers II?” It is all rather pathetic, in a time of war, no less — silly politics plus incompetence during a struggle for the survival of civilization.

---

Related: United States, Arab/Muslim World

---