David Price: “the Dubai Ports World debacle, like Hurricane Katrina, laid bare preexisting problems which some of us, especially on…”

“the Dubai Ports World debacle, like Hurricane Katrina, laid bare preexisting problems which some of us, especially on the Democratic side of the aisle, have been struggling for years to bring to public notice. The ports episode starkly reveals the pitfalls of the Bush administration's peremptory decision-making style, without serious deliberation or consultation. And it lays bare the dangers of 4 years of administration laxity on port security. The Sabo amendment offers us the chance to begin to remedy that neglect. First, it would expand overseas container inspections to all overseas ports that ship to the U.S. The Container Security Initiative, responsible for reviewing manifests and opening and inspecting high- risk containers, is currently operating in only 43 of the 140 overseas ports that ship directly to this country. This amendment would expand the program to all overseas ports shipping to the U.S. Secondly, the amendment would increase port security inspections and surveillance by the Coast Guard and would eliminate the Coast Guard's current $70 million energy shortfall. Thirdly, the amendment would place radiation portal monitors at all ports of entry. Fewer than half of the ports of entry are equipped with those monitors now, and Homeland Security does not plan to have them all equipped until 2011. This amendment would allow each entry point to have a radiation portal monitor. Fourth, it would increase our nationwide communications backup capability.…”