Congress knew the details of the Bush Administration's strategy for working with the UAE as early as November 16, 2004, in the administration's argument in favor of a Free Trade Agreement with the United Arab Emirates. You can read the administration's letter to Sen. Ted Stevens explaining it all here.

Here's one excerpt:

An FTA will also allow the United States to work more closely with UAE customs and port authorities that manage Jebel Ali and other transshipment points, an important opportunity for cooperation similar to that provided by our FTA with Singapore and the agreement we are negotiating with Panama.

There's also a good bit of detail about economic and strategic commercial cooperation between the U.S. and UAE in the administration's letter, which probably goes to "quid pro quo" questions raised by many this week, including Glenn Reynolds.