Two stories have emerged recently. One is that Bush didn't know about the deal to turn over operations of American ports to the United Arab Emirates. The other is that Bush's administration had worked out a secret agreement with the UAE to clear the way for the deal. So which is it?

It's entirely possible that the two are not mutually exclusive. Members of the Bush administration could have cut a secret deal with a foreign government for control of our ports without the President ever knowing. But if that's true, doesn't it prove that Bush is completely out to lunch when it comes to actually leading this country? Here's an overview of the Bush administration's secret conditions (or lack thereof) for approving this deal, from the AP.

Under a secretive agreement with the Bush administration, a company in the United Arab Emirates promised to cooperate with U.S. investigations as a condition of its takeover of operations at six major American ports, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press.

The U.S. government chose not to impose other, routine restrictions.

In approving the $6.8 billion purchase, the administration chose not to require state-owned Dubai Ports World to keep copies of its business records on U.S. soil, where they would be subject to orders by American courts. It also did not require the company to designate an American citizen to accommodate requests by the government.

Essentially, these conditions weren't so much about protecting Americans from potential wrongdoing by a foreign power, but rather protecting a foreign power from accountability to Americans. It's incredible. And I'm left wondering who in the administration was involved in setting the parameters of this agreement. For example, what level of involvement did Treasury Secretary John Snow or Maritime Secretary David Sanborn, both of whom have a special interest in seeing the deal approved, have in hammering out the details?

The Republican ideal of Bush as vigilant protector is laughable. Their man behind the curtain is napping on the job.