Bob Dole is port lobbyist

From Americablog

As if this deal to sell off control of US ports to the United Arab Emirates couldn’t become any sleazier, we now have former Republican Senator Bob Dole being hired as a lobbyist to influence – who? – HIS OWN WIFE. Yes, Bob Dole’s wife is a Republican Senator from North Carolina.

I’m sorry, but how much sleazier can you get than having a sitting member of Congress being paid by a foreign government to lobby his own wife?

Given the open corruption in DC, this might even be legal. One wonders how much other money is being spread around to influence this deal. Of course, no one in either party in DC will mention how ethically bankrupt this is. Because that would exclude them from future gravy trains.

Not to mention, I’m not real sure of the propriety of our national security decisions being influenced by foreign money.

Well, no need to fly off into Jingoist Land. Like it’s fine and dandy for the US to buy whatever it wants in other countries and ‘influence’ things, but not ok for other countries to do the same here? Welcome to the wonderful world of global capitalism. Bush is being loyal to his own, supporting the billionaire class against the rest of us.

Would I wonder, there be so much protest against the deal if it was a Japanese, not Arab firm, buying the British port firm? The implication of course is that an Arab firm is not reliable and might be terrorist, which seems simple racism to me.

Jack Abramoff would be proud

Naw, he’s too busy ratting out his pals to think about anything else now.