The United States should not be outsourcing the essential functions of government. That most emphatically includes the security of our ports.

It was not widely known that many of our ports were operated by a British company. Now the operational controls are poised to move even further from our shores, to Dubai Ports World, owned by the United Arab Emirates.

We don’t have anything against Arab-owned or British-owned businesses in the United States. The question is whether this purchase has national security implications.

I urge the President to put the brakes on this deal. If such action is not forthcoming, I strongly support the bipartisan efforts in Congress for emergency legislation to block the takeover until all security concerns are met.

The President’s threat to veto such legislation puts him on a collision course with leaders of his own party in Congress and in the statehouses. More important, it flies in the face of both national security and common sense.