The fact that Bush is willing to veto any attempt to block the sale of US port management to the United Arab Emirates, that speaks volumes

Bush is now saying he'll veto any legislation that stops the United Arab Emirates from taking over control of major US seaports.

Now, think about that. Bush will use his first veto since his presidency started six years ago to defend the economic interests of not just big oil, but big foreign oil. Bush is choosing sides, and he's choosing the sides of a big rich Arab oil country over the national security interests of the United States of America.

Why is he doing this? It would be easier for Bush to side with the Democrats and Republicans and even the religious right who are all demanding he scotch the deal. But Bush is digging in, he's gonna stick by the deal.

The only reason you do that is because there's some secret deal that's tied to this port takeover and Bush isn't tell us about it. All that supposed "help" the United Arab Emirates is giving us by letting US ships dock there, is it being paid with extortion? Give us your harbors or we no longer accept your ships?

It's not clear.

But what is clear is that the United Arab Emirates has the president of the United States by the balls, they've got something on him, and that's not a good thing.

So much for Karl Rove and the Republicans devoting this year to blasting Democrats over national security. George Bush just shot himself in the face, and didn't even need Cheney.

And one more thing. Bush is now playing the race card - I dare anyone to explain to me why it was okay for a British company but not an Arab company to run our ports, Bush said yesterday.

Well, Coretta, you're hardly a bastion of civil rights, so spare us the crocodile tears.

Second, no American is going to buy the supposed equivalence between Great Britain, America's closest ally in the world, and the United Arab Emirates, a country with disturbing ties to terrorism. I'm not thrilled about any foreign government running our ports (and mind you, it was a British company running our ports before, THIS is the actual UAE itself that would be running them), but when it comes to national security and someone trying to sneak a nuclear bomb into the United States, you better believe I'm going to trust my life to England over the United Arab Emirates. And so will every American you poll.

And finally, Bush is willing to chuck our civil rights out the window with his illegal domestic spying program, indefinite detentions at Guantanamo, and more. But suddenly we have a war-on-terror issue dealing with Bush's rich Middle Eastern oil buddies and NOW Bush is more interested in civil rights than national security.

Nice priorities, Mr. President.