Here we go again.

As many other American’s I too have concern’s over the recent actions of the Bush administration in two National Security issues, one of course being their desire to give the security of our ports to a foreign nation. Granted this nation is presently enjoying a status of friendship with our country, but their past ties to supporting terrorist leave a bad taste in our mouths when we read of the decision.

In the aftermath of the Dubai port dispute we learn of the Bush administration hiring a Hong Kong conglomerate to help detect nuclear materials inside cargo passing through the Bahamas to the United States and elsewhere. The Bush administration recently acknowledged a no-bid contract with Hutchison Whampon Ltd. This represents the first time a company under foreign rule will be involved in running a U.S. radiation detector without American customs agents present.

The company in question, Hutchison Whampon Ltd. Is the world’s largest ports operator and well respected. The problem is its billionaire chairmen; Li Ka-Shing also has substantial ties to China’s government and this has raised serious concerns with others in Washington. It has been released that Li Ka-Shing is pretty close to a lot of senior leaders of the Chinese government and the Chinese Communist Party. It was said that Hutchison operates independently of Beijing and Li Ka-Shing is “a very legitimate international businessman.

The legitimacy of businessman status really does not matter in this case. Wikipedia describes the status between the United States and China as follows: “Sino-American relations have generally been volatile, especially after the fall of the Soviet Union, which removed a common enemy and ushered in a world characterized by American dominance. Many in the United States remain suspicious of Communist China and believe that its goal is to establish hegemony in East Asia and threaten U.S. interests.”

That is what really matters in our national security, the fact of turning it over to someone with ties to a communist nation with uncertain status. I simply do not understand why the Bush administration constantly attempts to undermine their own popularity among the people they represent. One would assume their concerns with national security would be strong enough to encourage the participation of agents of the United States in protecting it. Their constant attempts to turn over this security to those with uncertain ties represent the underlying mistrust of their administration.