I guess we should never underestimate good ol' American Xenophobia. As soon as Democrats try to use this port security issue as a National Defense/Terrorism issue with which to blunt the president, Republicans can just say OK, fine, then we need racial profiling in Airport Security, Immigration, etc. But, Democrats will say, midterm elections are coming up, so fuck the religious/ethnic minority and now we can be the party that protects white people from those brown people. (Well, at least until 90% of those white people forget that this was even an issue).

From the Feb. 27th CBS Poll:

THE PORTS DEAL
Just 21% say that the U.S. should let a United Arab Emirates country operate six American ports ? 70% say this should not be allowed.
SHOULD U.A.E. COMPANY OPERATE U.S. PORTS?

Yes 21%
No 70

The opposition to the ports deal crosses party lines ? 58% of Republicans oppose it, as do more than seven in ten Democrats and Independents. The question text included Bush administration positions ? that the U.S. would continue to control security at the ports, that a foreign company from Britain now runs the ports, and that the U.A.E. is an ally of the U.S.