Even for Joe, I don't understand it.

I don't understand how he can claim to care about security, yet be OK with a foreign government running American ports.

I don't understand how he can claim to be a representative of the people, yet be for a deal that the vast majority of the public as well political leaders across the country from both parties (Sen. Clinton, Sen. Schumer, Sen. Menendez, Rep. King, to name a few in the region) are so vehemently against.

I don't understand how he can claim to be a Democrat, yet literally recite Karl Rove talking points (video from WTIC), defending Bush on the first security issue in years on which Democrats are getting any traction. Compare and contrast:

Lieberman:

[The U.A.E.] have been not just allies but extraordinary allies, courageous allies, in the war against Islamist terrorism since 9/11. The port at Dubai, which is run by the same company, has more visits by U.S. Navy ships than any other port in the world, and they do it with a real sense of security.

Rove:

More U.S. Navy vessels dock at ports in the United Arab Emirates than dock at ports in anywhere outside the United States. We have used their air facilities, they have one of the most sophisticated air training facilities in the world that's located there that we use. They've been enormously supportive in Afghanistan and Iraq. I mean, the message would be, "Be a loyal ally to the United States, have a big target painted on your government by Al Qaida for cooperating so aggressively with the United States in fighting the war on terror, and what you'll get is a slap from the United States in return.

Lieberman:

Without giving them the opportunity over the 45 days they have under law to present their case, it will look to a lot of the Arab world like we're just doing it for reasons of discrimination.

Rove:

And it's also important that the message be that - within - we're not going to win the war on terror by ourselves. We need - we need to win the hearts and minds of moderate Muslim governments and Muslims around the world. And this just sends a very bad signal that a partner of the United States would be ill-treated, unfairly treated, particularly when the concerns, from our perspective, are not justified.

Most infuriatingly, I don't understand how the man who now claims to be so concerned about the U.S. image in the Arab world can be the same man who spewed these disgusting words to the Arab world after Abu Ghraib broke:

I cannot help but say, however, that those who were responsible for killing 3,000 Americans on September 11th, 2001, never apologized. Those who have killed hundreds of Americans in uniform in Iraq working to liberate Iraq and protect our security have never apologized.

And those who murdered and burned and humiliated four Americans in Fallujah a while ago never received an apology from anybody.

I just don't understand how anyone with this sad record can be taken seriously on matters of national security.