There are legitimate concerns about the UAE port deal, but I think part of what’s driving the furor is the “to hell with them” sentiment I’ve noted lately. Again, not everyone who opposes this deal feels this way, but I think some people just don’t want to bother making a distinction between friendly Arab countries and hostile Arab countries. For them, putting the word “Arab” and “port” together in the same sentence together is a conversation-stopper. That’s why the Democrats finally might have a political winner here. If I were an opportunistic Democrat, I’d also find it tempting to adopt a “to hell with them” posture toward Iraq, which will become much easier if a civil war breaks out. Furthermore, if the Dems, 1) avoid praising the likes of Kofi Annan and Jacques Chirac too much; 2) control their opposition to measures like the NSA program; 3) make it clear they would like nothing more than to use force against terrorists and/or rogue states, if the circumstances so dictate (they never will–but that’s another story), then they would have a chance to eat into the “to hell with them hawk” vote and be even more of a threat in November.