On Feb 23, 2006, at 11:11 AM, Doug Henwood wrote:
> Marta Russell wrote:
>
>
>> OK but its too bad he didn't follow the Dubai corporation money
>> angle instead. Who is profiting from the sale of what could be
>> analogous to our national parks?
>>
>
> They're not selling anything except the management of the ports.
> The ports remain the property of their respective owners.
>
> DPW is pretty connected though. Here's an excerpt from a WashTimes
> story <http://www.washtimes.com/national/
> 20060223-123443-6892r_page2.htm>:
>
> DPW Chief Operating Officer Ted Bilkey told CNN yesterday that
> his company will do anything necessary to get the deal done. He
> confirmed that former Sen. Bob Dole, Kansas Republican, has been
> hired as a congressional liaison for the company.
> Mr. Dole works for Atlanta-based law firm Alston & Bird LLP,
> whose Washington office also includes former Senate Minority Leader
> Tom Daschle, South Dakota Democrat.
> Washington-based Downey McGrath Group Inc. also is part of
> DPW's high-powered team of lobbyists and consultants. Two former
> House members from New York, Democrat Thomas Downey and Republican
> Raymond McGrath, are the principals.
> Rep. Eric Cantor, Virginia Republican, said that Mr. Bush
> remains the leader on national security but that opposing the ports
> deal is "a no-brainer."
> "I am totally in opposition to a company controlled by the UAE
> having access and running, managing our ports," he said.
> "Frankly, I think the UAE has demonstrated it wants to be
> selective in terms of its position in the war on terror. Where are
> they in terms of Hamas and the West Bank and what's going on in
> that conflict?" he said.
> Two of the September 11 hijackers were from the United Arab
> Emirates. Dubai, one of the emirates, has served as an operations
> and financial center for al Qaeda terrorists.
> Sen. John W. Warner, Virginia Republican and chairman of the
> Senate Armed Services Committee, will hold an "open briefing" today
> for members of Congress and the press to hear directly from
> administration officials why they are not concerned about the deal.
> Mr. Warner said after meeting earlier this week with Mr.
> Rumsfeld and others that the Bush administration has a case to be
> made. Although he said his concerns about the deal were not
> necessarily appeased during his meeting in Mr. Rumsfeld's office,
> he said news stories are overlooking important facts.
> "The UAE is a major partner of the United States in the war on
> terror," he said. "More U.S. ships call on their ports for action
> in Afghanistan and Iraq than anywhere else. They make available a
> major portion of their airfields for U.S. planes."
> Mr. Snow has a more personal connection to the Dubai company.
> CSX Corp., which Mr. Snow led until 2002, sold its Hong Kong and
> South American port operations to DPW in 2004 for $1.15 billion.
> Several senior DPW executives, including the general counsel
> and the head of business development, worked at CSX with Mr. Snow.
> ___________________________________
> http://mailman.lbo-talk.org/mailman/listinfo/lbo-talk
>
>