The New York Times [registration] reports that the Carlyle Group and the NASDAQ Stock Market, Inc. (NASDAQ: NDAQ) are selling out to one of the countries -- United Arab Emirates -- from which two 9/11 hijackers -- Marwan al-Shehhi and Fayez Benihammad -- hailed.

Specifically, the government of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates' capital, will buy 20% of Carlyle Group, valuing it at $20 billion. While yesterday, NASDAQ announced that is was selling 19.9% of itself to Borse Dubai, the Dubai government-controlled exchange.

But not a peep of protest is emerging from the White House. And why should it protest? This is the decade where it's better to be a barrel of oil -- or a country that sits on oil -- than to be an American. After all, the price of oil is up 242% to a record $82 a barrel since its January 2001 price of $24 a barrel. Meanwhile, since 2001, the median family income adjusted for inflation has stagnated. Bernanke's bailout has slashed the dollar to record low levels against the euro -- and since oil is traded in dollars -- that means people who drive will be paying more than ever.

Fortunately, in the case of NASDAQ, there is some rising anger in Congress akin to the successful effort to stop the sale of a company that managed U.S. port operations to a Dubai-controlled company. The administration's drive to sell our infrastructure to the enemy seems more consistent with its War on the American Middle Class than its so-called War on Terror.

I'm not surprised that Carlyle would sell out to the enemy since its senior advisers are so deeply embedded in the oil industry. But selling the stock exchange that takes technology companies public points another dagger at our economic jugular.

Peter Cohan is president of Peter S. Cohan & Associates,. He also teaches management at Babson College and edits The Cohan Letter. He has no financial interest in NASDAQ.