That makes this a good issue for the Democrats to push all the way. Make Bush veto the bill, then try to override the veto. It will separate the sheep from the goats in an election year.
This is a godsend to the Democrats. Bush may be seen as protecting the interests of a country that has served as a base for 9/11 attackers--and may still have financial ties to terrorists. For example, here's a 2004 article from USA Today which came up on Google after one second of searching: Bin Laden's Operatives Still Using Freewheeling Dubai:
With open borders, multiethnic society and freewheeling business rules, the Emirates remains vital to al-Qaeda operations, said Evan F. Kohlmann, a Washington-based terrorism researcher.What if Bush actually vetoes a Congressional resolution?
Dubai still "plays a key role for al-Qaeda as a through-point and a money transfer location," Kohlmann said, although he also noted the country could be working to combat such activity with "an aggressive but low-profile intelligence strategy."
al-Qaeda isn't the only organization that has found Dubai useful. The father of Pakistan's nuclear program, Abdul Qadeer Khan, has acknowledged heading a clandestine group that, with the help of a Dubai company, supplied Pakistani nuclear technology to Iran, Libya and North Korea.
Emirates officials refused to discuss the country's latest steps to combat terror.
As Ronald Reagan once said in another context: "Go ahead, make may day..."
If Bush loses the override vote, it's the beginning of the end of his administration. He could be impeached after Cheney is forced to quit, and Congress could pick the new Veep and Pres (hint; R-U-D-Y G-I-U-L-A-N-I). If Bush wins his vote, it's the beginning of the end of Republican control of Congress.
I can already see the 30-second TV spots featuring Osama Bin Laden as the running mate of anyone who votes with the President on this one...
