So you’ve been in office for five years, Mr. Bush, and you haven’t vetoed any bills. Haven’t even threatened to. But now, something has come along so dreadful, so upsetting, that it warrants this special executive privilege.

Yes, it is so critical to the president that a company out of the United Arab Emirates operate six ports in the United States, including one in New Orleans, that he’s already announced he’ll veto any bills trying to stop the sale.

Democrats and Republicans rarely stand together on issues these days, but they’re united in their opposition to this sale, with good reason.

While foreign ownership of ports is nothing new – indeed, the six ports are currently owned by a British corporation – the United Arab Emirates has a shady record on terror; the Australian government recommends its citizens not travel there due to a “high risk of terror attack.” It only takes a few employees out of thousands working the port to make sure certain containers pass through unnoticed; these containers could potentially carry thousands of pounds worth of dirty bombs.

If the government had enacted the port security measures recommended after Sept. 11, this wouldn’t be a story. But 95 percent of the shipping containers coming into the United States aren’t inspected, and there’s no reason to make this vulnerable area even more so.

More offensive than the sale itself is the implications behind the president’s actions. He’s willing to use questionable wiretapping, send suspected “terrorists” away for years without legal counsel and condone torture, but the second the war on terror upsets a corporation, he accuses legislators of racism and threatens to veto. It’s interesting that the war on terror is paramount – except when a wealthy oil partner is involved.