Corker Refuses to Oppose Ports Deal
While Majority Leader Bill Frist was on the Senate floor trying to block legislation that would stop the Bush Adminstration from selling control of six major U.S. ports to an Arab company, GOP Senate candidate Bob Corker was sticking to his wait-and-see attitude on the deal. Tennessee Democratic Party Chairman Bob Tuke today called on Corker to finally take a stand on the issue and announce his support for the bipartisan fight against the deal.
“Congress is taking action to stop this nonsense. Security-conscious Republicans across the country are breaking ranks with the president and joining the opposition to this deal, but Bob Corker folds his arms and asks us to wait and see,” Tuke said. “He says we should ‘err on the side of being cautious as it relates to our national security.’ That’s wrong. The Congress should take action, and Corker’s refusal to support that clearly shows he fails to grasp the importance of this issue.”
On Wednesday, the House Appropriations Committee overwhelmingly approved legislation blocking the deal, a move approved by House Speaker Dennis Hastert . Senator Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) initiated the push in the Senate.
“Dubai Ports World is owned by a government with known ties to terrorist organizations. Al Qaeda has boasted of infiltrating the UAE, and surely has agents in DP World. What else does Bob Corker need to know?” Tuke said. “He clearly misunderstands the vital national security issues at stake here. Otherwise, he would join those of us opposing the Bush Administration on this deal.”
“It also is very troubling that the Bush Administration and those who support it are willing to gamble our ports’ security in favor of global businesses, even those owned by foreign governments potentially hostile to our interests,” Tuke said. “Whether it is inexperience in national affairs or favoring business over security, Bob Corker’s failure to take a stand here shows he is not ready for the U.S. Senate.”
All of which, Tuke concluded, does not sit well with Tennesseans. “If Corker can’t stand in opposition to this deal, then he’s unelectable. Tennesseans do not want a Senator who ‘errs on the side of being cautious’ on national security. They want a Senator who takes resolute action to keep our country safe and secure.”
