The Dubai ports deal has pointed out an amazing inconsistency among the left. Maybe they should have a little powwow and get their stories straight rather than rely on talking points to guide them in policy making decisions.

You see, since September 12, 2001, the liberals among us have insisted that Islam is a "religion of peace", and that we shouldn't consider terrorist extremists as representatives of Islam. Over the last couple of years they've taken it upon themselves to relabel the terrorists "freedom fighters", and insist that, if only we were more understanding, more accommodating, they wouldn't be so bent on blowing us to smithereens.

But the liberals are apparently not guided by the mantra of common sense as much as they are the mantra of "hate Bush". In the same spirit of ideological partisanship that saw them reverse themselves from a position of demanding that social security was in crisis to that of utter denial when the Republicans presented a solution to the problem, they now insist that EVERY Islamic government is to be feared by the American people, regardless of how cooperative they have been with our efforts to bring terrorists to justice. They forget that it is the UAE who allows us to maintain strategic bases within their borders, at their own personal peril from middle eastern governments and entities that oppose our very existence in that part of the globe. They forget that it was the UAE who handed over the mastermind behind the bombing of the USS Cole and who has worked to help us apprehend terrorists in the middle east, providing us with intelligence that we, as westerners, would be unlikely to obtain without their cooperation, again, at their own personal peril. They will point to the fact that 2 of the 19 9/11 hijackers hailed from the UAE, as if that were somehow representative of the ideology of that nation's government. All that matters is the simple rule of thumb that if Bush supports it, they must be against it.

They have even defied the fact that one of their own iconic figures, Jimmy Carter, ENDORSES the deal. All that matters to them is their antipathy towards the Bush administration.

It would stand to reason that if Islam were truly the "religion of peace", we would not only want to do business with them, we would practically INSIST upon it. After all, who better to do business with than an ally dedicated to pacifism, to peaceful cooperation? Dubai would seem the perfect "marriage partner" in this deal, even better than Britain, whose historical imperialism would prevent them from being considered a "peaceful ally", even though they have shown themselves to be a consistent ally of the United States. The fact is, the liberals KNOW that Islam is NOT a religion of peace, and they KNOW the dangerous consequences if somehow extremist elements of Islam are in control of our ports. Their hatred of Bush just gives them a convenient out to opposing the ports deal without owning up to that fact.