Bushies had secret -- not very restrictive -- deal with UAE

Team Bush cut a secret deal with their pals in the UAE on port security:

The Bush administration secretly required a company in the United Arab Emirates to cooperate with future U.S. investigations before approving its takeover of operations at six American ports, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press. It chose not to impose other, routine restrictions.

As part of the $6.8 billion purchase, state-owned Dubai Ports World agreed to reveal records on demand about "foreign operational direction" of its business at U.S. ports, the documents said. Those records broadly include details about the design, maintenance or operation of ports and equipment.

But according to experts, the deal did not include a lot of standard operating procedures. Why was the Bush Administration so determined to give the UAE a break?:

The administration did not require Dubai Ports to keep copies of business records on U.S. soil, where they would be subject to court orders. It also did not require the company to designate an American citizen to accommodate U.S. government requests. Outside legal experts said such obligations are routinely attached to U.S. approvals of foreign sales in other industries.

This story still has a long way to go before we really find the truth. And, the truth won't come from the Bush Administration.