Allowing the sale of some American port operations to a Dubai company seemed a case of not seeing trouble coming.

The cargo is handled by Dnata, an experienced, professional Dubai company.

The Dubai company had been quietly preparing in recent days for such a possibility.

Complaints about gaping holes in security have continued since 9/11 and heightened when a Dubai company planned to run terminal operations at five ports.

In the ports case, the principles of globalization demanded that the Dubai company be allowed to take over the management of the six ports in question.

The spirit is also alive in the United States, where politicians denounce the idea of letting a Dubai company run some American ports.

She continued to assail the Bush administration's proposal to allow a Dubai company to take over operations at six American ports.

The Dubai company would not control the entire ports, but terminals within them.

The Dubai company became the sponsor at the Essex House in September, when it acquired the building.

By midafternoon, after the Dubai company had dropped out of the deal, the president just seemed relieved that the storm was over.