Last week I gave Jimmy Baron a free pass on his criticism of the media for its questioning of the inconsistencies and unanswered questions surrounding Dick Cheney's accidental shooting of hunting partner Harry Whittington.
Perhaps emboldened by this pass, today, Baron made the following statement: "I guarantee you that president did not know the background of [Dubai Ports World]." While the Whitehouse denys Bush's knowledge of the deal prior to its completion, Bush Administration insiders have a close relationship to the company.
According to a D.P. World Press Release (via The Randi Rhodes Show blog):
...One of its senior executives, Dave Sanborn, has been nominated by US President George W. Bush to serve as Maritime Administrator a key transportation appointment reporting directly to Norman Mineta the Secretary of Transportation and Cabinet Member."
Prior to being sworn in as Treasury secretary in 2003, John Snow was chairman of CSX for twenty years. From the Philadelphia Inquirer:
In 2004, CSX sold its Hong Kong and South American port operations to Dubai Ports World for $1.15 billion.
As Treasury secretary, Snow chairs the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, which approved the Dubai deal. The panel includes the secretaries of state and homeland security and other administration officials.
While neither of these two close associations, in and of themselves, show that Bush knew about the Dubai Ports World, it would suggest that Baron, perhaps, should reconsider his guarantee.
