ELIZABETH -- U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez and Democratic leaders kicked off their "New Direction for America" tour in New Jersey on Saturday, saying the Republican-led Congress has been weak on national security.
With the Ports of New York and New Jersey as a backdrop, Menendez and Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., returned to a familiar theme they hope will help the party take control in November: port security.
Menendez, who is running for a full six-year term against state Sen. Tom Kean Jr., R-Union, said the Bush administration has advocated a stay-the-course port-security strategy that is comparable to its "failed" policy in the Iraq war.
Standing in front of a loading dock and cargo hulls, Menendez noted he was a leading critic earlier this year of a Dubai-owned company's plans to purchase a stake in U.S. ports, including Port Newark. Political pressure forced Dubai Ports World to announce later that it was giving up its entire stake by the end of the year.
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