Bush said that those attacking the sale were holding a Middle Eastern company to a different standard than the British port operator that is being acquired by Dubai Ports World.Bush's position is cute, but reeks of race-baiting from a man who baits just about every topic he touches. After 5 years of treating September 11 like some kind of political blessing, it's no surprise that Bush has now discovered civil rights as the latest tool to stifle the opposition.
Problem is, it's not gonna work on this one.
The United Arab Emirates is not Great Britain. And what's more, I just don't believe it's racist to acknowledge that fact.
It's a bit like saying Nigeria is one of the most, if not the most, corrupt country on the planet. It just is. And it's not because its citizens are black. It's just because the country is corrupt, period.
Same goes with Britain, but in reverse. England is not America's traditionally closest ally because they're white. It's because of years of both countries working together on common goals, sharing a common language, and in many ways sharing at least parts of a culture. Aside from that little revolution and the time they burned down the White House, we go way back with the Brits. You just can't say the same for the United Arab Emirates.
I'm sorry, but pretending that every country in the world is at the same level of economic, political, and cultural development is absurd. It suggests that the Renaissance never happened in the West, or at the very least, it happened simultaneously in all countries across the world because we wouldn't want to say that any country or any region "advanced" quicker than any other. It's also like saying that the world is equally democratic, that Iraq's democracy is just as good as America's, because to suggest otherwise would be racist.
I could go on.
But I think it's incredibly naive, and not surprising from a president who never stepped foot outside of the US (or did he visit Mexico once to go drinking?), to suggest that every country is at the same level of development and just as "nice" and trustworthy as every other country.
It's not.
And as I recall, it's the reason we invaded Afghanistan, and it was supposed to be the reason we invaded Iraq - to stop "bad" countries who weren't as nice as us.
And regardless of the fact that Bush lied to us about Iraq, that doesn't disprove the underlying premise, that each country is different, and that includes differences in trustworthiness, corruption, and levels of development.
It simply is not racist to admit those differences and act on them accordingly.
And in any case, when George Bush's best defense for the United Arab Emirates ports deal is to cry racism, you know he REALLY must be hiding something.
