Today’s NYT editorial is one of the worst I’ve ever read, both for its slant, and its blatant inaccuracies. It begins right with the first sentence:
It’s easy to imagine how the Bush administration might have defused much of the uproar over a deal to allow a company owned by the Dubai royal family in the United Arab Emirates to run six American ports.
This is false. Dubai Ports World will not be running these ports. How many times does this have to be said: They will only be managing the loading and unloading of shipping containers. And they will only be doing this at a few terminals at each port. DP World has a relationship to each port authority similar to that of a tenant and landlord. Tenants conduct their business in the space set out by the landlord, and have to abide by any and all rules. DP World will not be running these ports, just like I don’t run my apartment building.
This is the least of it. Instead of judging this issue on the facts and merits of the deal, the NYT engages in what has become a standard editorial practice: bash Bush regardless of the issue. From bringing up the wiretapping, to Bush’s stubbornness, to the tax cuts it opposes, the NYT ed board doesn’t care whether this policy is right or wrong so long as it offers an opportunity to recite their tiresome litany.