Safe Ports In A Sturm?

A little public affairs planning, media relations, and congressional liaison would have avoided, at least mitigated, the ballooning embarrassment over The United Arab Emirates ports deal.

Someone in the federal Government should have looked arms length at the proposed deal, then ordered baby steps to be taken so it would not have moved so near to closing without a public consensus.

Bean counters in Treasury and spy counters in the CIA probably viewed only the beans and the intel without PR glasses.

During the "baby steps" period a public affairs strategy should have been rolled out ... but not by the Government. The UAE should have had a top PR firm "floating" the story. (Pardon the pun). They can afford it.

No Worries For Me

On Sunday Mike Chertoff said the deal had been vetted, noting that the process was classified/secret.

Cheftoff, one of the best prosecutors in the U.S. for many years, and now Secretary of Homeland Security, vouched personally for the deal.

As U.S. Attorney in New Jersey, Mike, in his own words, insisted that everything be done "straight up."

If something smelled I believe he'd do an Archibald Cox before vouching for a business deal that would put the U.S. in jeopardy.