So you think it is somehow unfair that they would decide not to do business with us in other areas when we are constantly questioning their honor and accusing them of everything under the sun? Frankly with some of the accusations I have seen here and from pundits on TV, I wouldn't blame them for expelling our people and not wanting anything to do with us ever again.

Insults are much more important there than they are here, and we have offered the people who hate us there unlimited political capital to move their government to stop cooperating. Instead of defeating my point, this basically proves what this kind of short-sightedness and bigoted attitude will get us in the long run.

OK, but you saw the link...right?

So you think it is somehow unfair that they would decide not to do business with us in other areas when we are constantly questioning their honor and accusing them of everything under the sun? Frankly with some of the accusations I have seen here and from pundits on TV, I wouldn't blame them for expelling our people and not wanting anything to do with us ever again.

Insults are much more important there than they are here, and we have offered the people who hate us there unlimited political capital to move their government to stop cooperating. Instead of defeating my point, this basically proves what this kind of short-sightedness and bigoted attitude will get us in the long run.

Sorry about that, delete the extra, JU is stalling and I didn't think it had gone.

Yep, I saw it, was there something I didn't address? Anything worse than business arrangements seems to be speculation.

No, I don't think it's fair for them to threaten econmic blackmail against us.

I don't think America likes to be threatened.
I also insist that the problem with the ports deal is no different than Bush saying we can help India with nuclear stuff, but not Pakistan.
If we are allowed to look at the history of a country when deciding things about our security, why we can't we do the same with the ports deal?

I'm not sure I get the commenting part here, showing up sometimes on some pages, but not on others.

" No, I don't think it's fair for them to threaten econmic blackmail against us. "

Wait. They make a 6 billion dollar deal, perfectly legal, nothing dishonest about it, then our congress decides since it is an election year to make a bid deal about how they are from the Middle East, and you think they should just smile and say "Oh well, thanks anyway"? Can you imagine what people would be saying if this were the other way around and they had been talking about US the way we've been talking about them?

Imagine if their leaders had axed the deal because of Guantanamo or Iraq or our support for Israel. We've just shown ourselves to be petty, and worse, willing to make that big of a mess just because it is election year and this sort of thing resonates with the 'common folk'.

Republicans rely on the flag wavin, commie hatin, 'Osama can kiss my butt' people, and now the Dems have a chance to woo them too. It doesn't make it any less bigoted and fearmongering, though. If they decide to break with Jimmy Carter and take the low road, expect them to pay for it dearly.

What a way to show your true colors!

You mean the way our politicians have shown theirs?

Well, DPW has thrown in the towel. The demagogues have won the day. I think they've set us back in our relations with moderate Arab nations (& Muslims in general) far more than the Iraq war ever could. Hope I'm wrong, but this may have some serious domino effects. I'm ashamed of the Republicans who joined in, even led, the fearmongering. This is a horrible example of how easily and crazily distorted an issue can become in the "twisted sound-bite" age. Poll-driven political expediency was pathetic when the Dems ran the show and it's pathetic now.