We've done been played, friends. Best Rope-A-Dope EVER.

Beautifully, too. There is no doubt that there are folks who saw this coming and popped some corn and watched it happen. Wonder if Karl likes extra butter?

My hat is off for this one, though. Brilliantly executed.

This whole ports hysteria? What if I were to tell you that it was a heck of a great shoehorn to get the Patriot Act passed. Heck of a gamble, but think about it.

Some of the major provisions of the Patriot Act deal with port security issues. For example:


The Patriot Act Contains Bipartisan Port Security Provisions. Title III of the Patriot Act Conference Report – known as the “Reducing Crime and Terrorism at America’s Seaports Act of 2005” – takes tangible steps to improve our nation’s port security and thwart terrorist attacks. Some of the specific measures address:

-- Seaport Entry by False Pretenses. It is a federal crime to use fraud or false pretenses to enter federal property, a vessel or aircraft of the United States, or the secured area in an airport. Section 302 expands this law to cover America’s ports and increases the penalty for violations.

-- Obstructing Law Enforcement Inspections. Section 303 establishes a new, general federal crime to forcibly interfere with the boarding of the vessel by federal law enforcement or resist arrest, or to provide boarding federal law enforcement officers with false information concerning the vessel’s cargo, origin, destination, registration, ownership, nationality or crew.

-- Terrorist Attacks on Passenger Vessels. Section 304 adds “passenger vessels” to the forms of mass transit protected against terrorist attacks under Federal Law.

-- Interference with Maritime Commerce. Section 305 establishes a new crime, under which it is a federal crime punishable by imprisonment for any term of years or for life (or the death penalty if death results) to place a dangerous substance or device in the navigable waters of the United States with the intent to damage a vessel or its cargo or to interfere with maritime commerce.

-- Transporting Dangerous Materials. Section 306 establishes a new federal offense against the transportation of explosives, biological, chemical, radioactive weapons, or nuclear material aboard a vessel in the United States, in waters subject to U.S. jurisdiction, on the high seas, or aboard a vessel of the United States. The crime is punishable by imprisonment for any term of years or for life and may be punishable by death if death results from commission of the offense.

-- Transporting Terrorists. Section 306 also creates a new federal offense for transporting an individual knowing he intends to commit, or is fleeing from the commission of, a federal crime of terrorism.

-- Interference With Maritime Navigation. Section 307 makes violence (committed, attempted or conspired) against vessels or their facilities punishable by imprisonment for any term of years or for life if the offense involves a vessel carrying high level radioactive waste or spent nuclear fuel; if death results, by imprisonment for any term of years or by death.

-- Port Security Bribery. Section 311 makes it a federal crime to bribe any individual (private or public) within any secure or restricted area or seaport with the intent to commit international or domestic terrorism.


Let's set the stage here. Big political uproar all of a sudden happens in the vacuum of a very slow news month, all about port security. This, of course, happens RIGHT after the Democrats block the Patriot Act. Dems run around screeching about port security and Charles Schumer, Hillary Clinton are particularly preening in the media klieg lights, thrilled that they see "daylight" on an issue that has long been considered the property of Republicans -- national security.

Republicans also run around about the ports, port security, etc. Good opportunity to show a little feisty independence.

Patriot Act comes up again and what do you know, it passes, despite Democratic objections. Because nervous Dems (perhaps with an uncertain election in their future) now see the importance of port security, having gone way, way out on a limb, becoming port hawks. So just enough votes are peeled off to break the clutches of the filibuster and bust the cloture vote wide open. After all of their hysteria about national security, it is a bit hypocritical to deny the bill that would close the loopholes at the ports (with the exception of the Teamsters who are the ones who really run the ports....which is, of course, probably the main reason for the Democrats reaction in the first place....keep the Teamsters main source of cash flowin'! Or else.)

This was the Democrats' tune in December, drunk with power over filibustering the Patriot Act:

In December, Forty-One Democrats Voted To Filibuster The Patriot Act. “Motion to invoke cloture (thus limiting debate) on the conference report on the bill that would reauthorize the Patriot Act…” (H.R. 3199, CQ Vote #358: Motion Rejected 52-47: R 50-5; D 2-41; I 0-1, 12/16/05)

Minority Leader Harry Reid Rejoiced: “We Killed The Patriot Act.” “[I]n a Democratic rally after the vote, Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada took a more defiant tone. ‘We killed the Patriot Act,’ Reid declared to loud applause.” (James Kuhnhenn, “Senate Thwarts Patriot Act Vote,” The Philadelphia Inquirer, 12/17/05)

“Of Course” Killing The Patriot Act Was Cause For Celebration, According To Reid. FOX’s CHRIS WALLACE: “Senator, is [killing the Patriot Act] really something to celebrate?” REID: “Of course it is.” (“Fox News Sunday,” 12/18/05)

No doubt, I could be wrong here. But I'll tell you this -- the whole port security crisis didn't have the feel of a lobbying effort from the White House. There are a whole bunch of different signs when the White House really, really wants to convince a whole bunch of Republicans of something.

This was deliberate, my friends. Brilliant and deliberate. No doubt, there was a bit of a risk here, but the goal was clearly to pass the Patriot Act.

Like I said, I could be wrong here. But I have a strong feeling that I'm not. :)