Grover Norquist stands up for the Dubai deal

Has someone looked into Norquist’s role in getting the deal approved?

Thanks to Mickey Kaus, I see that Republican fund-raising honcho Grover Norquist has weighed in in favor of the Dubai deal, claiming that only “registered bigots” will wind up opposing it.

Of course, Norquist &#8212 who during the first Bush term got to decide, through Susan Ralston, which lobbyists did, and which didn’t, get their phone calls returned by Karl Rove &#8212 isn’t entirely trustworthy on terrorist-control issues, having lobbied for a variety of terrorist-linked operations, including the Hamas front called the Holy Land Foundation.

I’d be interested to know what role Norquist played in getting the deal approved: without, so we’re told, the President ever hearing about it.

That George W. Bush and his allies on the Hill have been running the most corrupt American national government since the Gilded Age is a pretty good issue for the Democrats. But link corruption, and K Street, with national security, and you have a dynamite issue.

Author: Mark Kleiman

Professor of Public Policy at the NYU Marron Institute for Urban Management and editor of the Journal of Drug Policy Analysis. Teaches about the methods of policy analysis about drug abuse control and crime control policy, working out the implications of two principles: that swift and certain sanctions don't have to be severe to be effective, and that well-designed threats usually don't have to be carried out. Books: Drugs and Drug Policy: What Everyone Needs to Know (with Jonathan Caulkins and Angela Hawken) When Brute Force Fails: How to Have Less Crime and Less Punishment (Princeton, 2009; named one of the "books of the year" by The Economist Against Excess: Drug Policy for Results (Basic, 1993) Marijuana: Costs of Abuse, Costs of Control (Greenwood, 1989) UCLA Homepage Curriculum Vitae Contact: Markarkleiman-at-gmail.com