House Republicans could have pragmatically examined the details of the DPW-P&O merger and educated the public as to why the MSM-driven hysteria is bunk. Instead, as is increasingly typical, they took the easy path by hitching onto mindless, xenophobic protectionism.

House Republicans have united around legislation that would block DP World from taking over significant management of terminals at six U.S. ports, ignoring a veto threat from the president.

And Republicans are sounding as moronically ignorant as any Democrat.

"We are going to send a very clear signal that we want to have American interests secured by leaders in America," said Rep. Jerry Lewis, R-Calif...

"The political reality is, if you have three weeks to explain it, and you can't explain it ... it's time to end it," said Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., the chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee.

With a clown like Lewis regurgitating the inane sophistries of the type that typically emanate from such buffoons as Lou Dobbs, the GOP is in sad shape on free trade and commerce. And if King is not sharp enough to learn about this deal, with three weeks to comprehend it, then perhaps the Republicans deserve to lose the majority in the House.

This is nothing more than rank populist nativism masquerading as national security. American ports will be no less safe with DPW paying the longshoremen and stevedores who work the terminals than they are with P&O paying them. And our efforts to strengthen relationships with moderate Arab countries to help promote modernity and a Western-oriented alternative to cloistered, midieval throwbacks is dealt a grievous blow. Why should any Arab nation reach out to America to enhance commercial ties when they see that the deck is stacked against them and political hacks will use them as partisan fodder?

First the GOP abandoned any pretense of fiscal conservatism. Yesterday, we noted how it is opting for big, smothering government instead of individual liberty. Now it seems to be abandoning the principles of free trade. The Republican party is in deep, deep trouble and is destined for minority status unless it stops trying to stanch the bleeding it has caused itself with more of the same wayward behavior. If insanity is repeating the same actions over and over and expecting a different result, then Republicans are absolutely looney. Blatantly pandering and diluting its message into nothingness merely repeats and exacerbates the original failures. If the Republican party no longer wants to be the party of free peoples and free markets, those who believe in those ideals will stay home or look elsewhere.

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