Consistency from the Left? Pt. 6

A recurring theme of this blog is hypocrisy. I choose to pick on the political Left because I disagree with so many of their positions and because, well, it's just so darned easy.

Take Sen. Charles Schumer (please!), who now says he would take Halliburton (that's Democrat shorthand for "evil oil company") over Dubai Ports World to manage those six American ports.

So, let me get this straight: it's not okay to racially profile Muslims in order to stop terrorism, but it is okay to racially profile entire companies because they are based in Muslim countries?

A few facts, if you have a moment:

1. These ports were already foreign-owned and managed. They were being managed by a company called Peninsula and Orient Steam Navigation Company (P&O), a British firm that was acquired by Dubai Ports World. US approval was needed, sought and obtained for the takover since P&O managed several important East Coast ports.
   
2. If the U.S hadn't allowed the takeover of P&O by Dubai Ports World, management of these ports would most likely have been ceded to a Singapore-based firm. So it's not like All-American Port Management lost out in a crooked process to some icky Arabs.
3. Security at the ports will still be the responsibility of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Coast Guard. Labor will still be provided by the International Longshoreman's Association.
   

This is not to say that there aren't honest objections to be made over the deal. Port security is important and potientially very vulnerable to attack. As Charles Krauthammer noted in an excellent op-ed, managing these ports will necessarily entail turning over details of port security to whichever firm manages the ports. If that firm is foreign-owned, the federal government (both the legislative and executive branches) should look very carefully at the fine print.

But, why bother with nuanced analysis when you can resort to good ole fashioned demagoguery, right Chuck?