No Need to Worry: Chertoff's in Charge

When I first heard about the Bush administration's new plan to put six major U.S. ports under the management of a company owned by the United Arab Emirates, I thought i was misunderstanding something. It seemed so counterintuitive in the midst of a war on terrorism that is theoretically so intense that it requires wiretapping the phone calls of American citizens. It sounded insane even coming from an administration full of people who are insanity professionals. What next? Appointing Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to the head of the FCC?

But then I read, in a CNN story on the topic, that Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said the sale has been reviewed by several federal agencies. "We look at these transactions and...If necessary, we build in conditions or requirements that, for extra security, would have to be met in order to make sure that there isn't a compromise to national security." he said.

So now I feel much better. Whew. That's a relief. In fact, now I'm a little bit embarrassed for having been so concerned. If Michael Chertoff and a couple of federal agencies are saying everything's under control, it would be silly to continue worrying.