Thread: Bush Pushes for Free-Trade Deal Approvals

Bush Pushes for Free-Trade Deal Approvals
By John D. McKinnon
Word Count: 542

WASHINGTON -- Using shiny, new, U.S.-made trucks as the backdrop, President Bush made a pitch for three free-trade agreements that are stalled in Congress -- in the process framing a potential fall campaign issue.

The White House has argued that the pending free-trade deals with Colombia, South Korea and Panama are policy no-brainers that would basically lower tariffs on U.S. goods shipped to those countries. The vast majority of goods imported from those countries already enter the U.S. duty-free, the administration says.

The three agreements have run into stiff opposition, mostly from Democratic-allied labor groups increasingly viewing globalization suspiciously. Democratic leaders in Congress, particularly House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, also want the Bush administration to include more relief for struggling U.S. workers. Mr. Bush formally asked Congress for an up-or-down vote on the Colombia agreement, but the California Democrat rebuffed him in a show of force that overturned decades of parliamentary precedent.

Moreover, both remaining Democratic presidential candidates, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, have raised objections to additional trade deals this year while campaigning in states such as Ohio that have been hurt by manufacturing-job losses.

On Friday, the president focused his remarks on the benefits of free trade not only for U.S. businesses but also for American workers -- and by extension, voters.

"When we talk about trade, we're talking about helping people keep work. And it turns out, if you're working for a company that exports goods and services, you make better money," Mr. Bush said, on the South Lawn, on which were parked a fire truck, a cement mixer, a tractor and a motorcycle. "Trade is in the interests of the working people here in America, pure and simple."

He took a jab at Democratic House leaders, saying, "Obstructionism is not leadership." Taking what appeared to be an implicit shot at the Democratic presidential candidates, he said, "The politicians in Washington who use trade as an issue to frighten voters must understand that opening up markets can mean the difference between expanding the number of workers, as opposed to shrinking the number of workers."

In an interview with Fox Business Network, the president said other world leaders "cannot believe that the U.S. is unwilling to conclude a simple trade deal with Colombia, because they understand that it's a bad sign about American leadership."

Sen. Obama -- responding quickly, as he did last week when Mr. Bush seemed to criticize him over his willingness to negotiate with Iran -- got off a quick counterpunch. He urged Mr. Bush not to use a procedural device to push for a quick vote on the South Korean trade agreement, terming it "badly flawed." Sen. Clinton has expressed similar concerns.

A top Democratic strategist, Rep. Rahm Emanuel of Illinois, said Friday that Americans want a broader approach for dealing with globalization, one that includes improved education and worker training, affordable health care and more investment in technology.

Mr. Bush is "a one-trick pony...but trade on its own is not a strategy," said Mr. Emanuel, who describes himself as a proponent of free trade. "The world changed on his watch, and he doesn't get it....You can't do it without an economic plan for winning, and he doesn't have one."

Write to John D. McKinnon at john.mckinnon@wsj.com

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1211580 ... And_Policy

[b](Washington) –Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa on Wednesday urged Congress to resist White House pressure to pass a trade deal with Colombia.

During a Capitol Hill news conference, seven Colombian union leaders said they oppose the deal because it rewards the government of Alvaro Uribe, which shows little respect for union rights.

Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, and Rep. Mike Michaud, D-Maine, joined the union leaders. The unionists are meeting with members of Congress to make it clear that the labor rights situation in Colombia remains dire, despite the assurances of the Bush and Uribe administrations.

“These trade deals harm workers and protect the multinationals that exploit them,â€

No more NAFTA Crap!!!!!!1

Dixie