Dubai bars all Israeli citizens from entering the
country. Clinton, Bush, Halliburton raking in Dubai Dough
Dick Morris and Eileen McGann NewsMax - The past few years have seen a concerted
international PR campaign to promote Dubai as a tolerant new Mecca of Middle East
moderation and amazing economic growth. And it's working. Corporate giant
Halliburton is moving its headquarters there; the famed Louvre is opening a
branch in the emirate. Tourists are flocking to Dubai's luxury hotels. But don't be
fooled. Dubai, which is one of the seven princedoms of the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.),
is anything but tolerant and progressive.
To put it bluntly: They don't like Jews.
In fact, Dubai, like the rest of the U.A.E., is blatantly anti-Semitic. It bars
all Israeli citizens from ever setting foot in the country. People from other
nations whose passport have stamps indicating they've even visited Israel must notify
Dubai immigration authorities of the stamp before entering.
Dubai is also actively involved in the Arab boycott of Israel: It bans all products made
in Israel and even ones with parts made in Israel. But the emir of Dubai, Sheik Mohammed
bin Rashid Al Maktoum, understands the value of using prominent Americans to legitimize
his country and burnish its image in the American media.
That's why former Presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton have been
the objects of Dubai largesse. Their Dubai friends have given millions to each of their
presidential libraries. And Bill Clinton has raked in more than $1 million for speeches
he's given in Dubai and the U.A.E.
Dubai's PR machine went into high gear after 9/11 in part to distract attention from the
extensive use the terrorists made of the emirate. More than half of the hijackers traveled
to the United States via Dubai. The 9/11 Commission noted that $234,500 of the $300,000
wired to the hijackers and plot leaders in America came via Dubai banks.
Several months after 9/11, Dubai's newest best friend began his public association with
the country. In January 2002, Bill Clinton gave his first Dubai speech (for $300,000).
He's been legitimizing the country ever since.
Clinton was the rainmaker who introduced the emir to his friend and employer, Ron Berkle,
the owner of Yucaipa companies and a major fund-raiser for Bill and Hillary.
Last year, Yucaipa and the emir formed a new company, DIGL, for their joint ventures. So
Bill Clinton is now an adviser and member of the board of directors of a company that is
in partnership with the anti-Israeli government of Dubai.
The Clintons won't reveal how much the former president pocketed for setting up this deal,
except to report on Hillary's Senate disclosure form: "more than $1,000."
A lot more.
According to San Francisco Examiner columnist P.J. Corkery, Clinton makes $10 million a
year from Yucaipa.
Bill isn't alone in legitimizing Dubai.
Other Clinton pals — including disgraced former National Security Adviser Sandy
Berger, ex-Secretary of State Madeline Albright, and Al and Tipper Gore have attended
highly publicized events there.
So have some Republicans — including former Bush Sr. Chief of Staff John Sununu,
presidential brother Neal Bush and Rudy Guiliani.
Republican ex-Sen. Bob Dole and Democratic ex-Rep. Tom Downey lobby for Dubai; so does The
Glover Park Group, home of Hillary Clinton spokesman Howard Wolfson and former President
Clinton press secretary Joe Lockhart.
Major U.S. business leaders populate the many conferences sponsored by Dubai and its
industries.
All of this helps legitimize Dubai. And no one mentions the problem with Israel.
Bill Clinton even created a Dubai Scholars Program at the American University in Dubai
under the sponsorship of the William Jefferson Clinton Foundation. Laura Tyson, Clinton's
chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers, created a similar Dubai study program at the
University of London. But not everyone is blind.
Last month, the University of Connecticut correctly abandoned plans to open up a campus in
Dubai after serious complaints about Dubai's state-imposed discrimination of people based
on their national origin and religion and its documented violations of human rights. (For
example, Human Rights Watch has said Dubai abuses tens of thousands of migrant workers
from India and Pakistan.)
The Clinton Foundation certainly wouldn't sponsor a program in America that banned Israeli
students.
It shouldn't sponsor one in Dubai, either. It's time to stop legitimizing an anti-Semitic
state.
Dick Morris and Eileen McGann NewsMax March 24, 2007 -
http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2007/3/23/164234.shtml?s=al&promo_code=3026-1
To Warriors For Truth
Conservative Independent News Main Page
Travel Discounts Airlines Hotels Real
Estate 007 Online Here
|
