I would like to know specifics like who’s idea was it to sell the embassy in the first place and who brokered the deal. This reminds me of the Clinton years when Al Gore sold off the military fuel depot to China, the Panama Canal and also sold nuclear secrets to to China for campaign contributions. The Obama White House is a continuation of this treasonous behavior that will blow up in all our faces literally.

seahawker on November 5, 2009 at 2:00 pm

Not to mention all the opportunities to plant listening devices and cameras when ‘repairmen’ come in to do required maintenance work on the building.

Remember our Russian embassy, the one we had built by a company that we knew was directly run by the KGB? (We used it, apparently, because it was the only one capable of actually building something in Russia close to on time with some semblance of quality construction.) When it was done every square foot of it had at least four listening devices and it was essentially useless as an embassy.

luagha on November 5, 2009 at 2:01 pm

The point is not that Qatar is owning the US Embassy. Its that our taxpayer dollars go to finance America’s enemies. That is what I would call beyond stupid!

NF: No, the point is that Qatar is owning the US Embassy. It’s a ridiculous risk of national security (not to mention, as you point out, the dollars). DS

NormanF on November 5, 2009 at 2:02 pm

Its true they do own the US Embassy. No country, friendly or hostile should own US sovereign territory. That is a common-sense rule we’re not following. And I was observing its naive to believe the Qataris won’t just bank the money we give them. If it goes to terrorist groups or even to Iran (yes, money is fungible) then Americans will face disfigurement and death. The only country that should be owning the land on which the Embassy sits is America.

As you pointed out Debbie, the ridiculous risk of our national security goes like this: we can’t expect the world to look after it for us if we’re not going to do the job ourselves. In short, there are some things that simply cannot be out-sourced or contracted out to others in any day and age.

NormanF on November 5, 2009 at 2:21 pm

Now this is what you definitely called PWNED.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pwn

“Pwn (below: Various pronunciations) is a leetspeak slang term derived from the verb “own”, as meaning to appropriate or to conquer to gain ownership. The term implies domination or humiliation of a rival (e.g., “You just got pwned!”).”

Doda McCheesle on November 5, 2009 at 3:04 pm

I hardly think that there is a threat to national security by selling the building. There are many US Government agencies here in the United States that are located in leased premises.

Additionally, the land on which the Grosvenor Square Embassy is located has never been owned by the United States, it is leased from the Duchy of Westminster.

Nigel Brooks on November 5, 2009 at 5:14 pm

/Quote
I hardly think that there is a threat to national security by selling the building. There are many US Government agencies here in the United States that are located in leased premises.

Additionally, the land on which the Grosvenor Square Embassy is located has never been owned by the United States, it is leased from the Duchy of Westminster.

Nigel Brooks on November 5, 2009 at 5:14 pm
/Endquote

Well lets look at who the Duke is then if that is your argument.

Major-General Gerald Cavendish Grosvenor, 6th Duke of Westminster, KG, CB, OBE, TD, DL (born 22 December 1951 in Omagh, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland), is the son of Robert George Grosvenor, 5th Duke of Westminster, and his wife Hon. Viola Maud Lyttelton. According to the Sunday Times Rich List 2009, The Duke of Westminster is worth £6.5 billion placing him 3rd in the list behind Lakshmi Mittal and Roman Abramovich. He was educated at Harrow School and Sandhurst. In 2005, he became Chancellor of the University of Chester.

Grosvenor is the richest property developer in Britain and one of Britain’s largest landowners, owning vast estates in Lancashire, Cheshire and Scotland as well as great swathes of Mayfair and Belgravia in central London. Internationally the Duke also owns vast estates in Canada and Spain.

Well it appears to me that he is not of the extremist persuasion so I would assume that it would be safe to lease the land from him. Of course we owned the building so that also would mean something as far as security would be concerned. Thus, he would not have had any control over the building as he only gave us the land via a lease.

As far as leased properties inside the U.S. you are correct. I don’t agree with it but somehow our Government has decided that saving a dollar is more important than national security. But we are talking about U.S. Embassies on foreign soil where even our so called friends spy on us on a daily basis.

Tim on November 9, 2009 at 12:10 pm