Politics trumps free trade

Whatever dubious political advantage Democrats think they may have achieved by blocking the free trade agreement negotiated by the Bush administration with Colombia must be measured against the damaging signal last week's 224-195 vote by the House sends to Latin America. As California Republican Rep. David Dreier noted, the vote 'aligns with the goals of (Venezuelan President) Hugo Chavez and South America's narco-terrorists.'

The vote also sends the message that the United States is an unreliable partner. Colombian President Alvaro Uribe, the staunchest ally of the United States in the region, is fighting the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, the FARC, a Marxist terrorist organization that is also deeply involved in drug trafficking. The free trade agreement promises the Colombian people a dividend by increasing trade with the United States and encouraging U.S. investment. It would have capped the success that President Uribe has achieved in battling the FARC, which has earned him a popularity rating of 82 percent.

The agreement would also benefit the United States, but to a greater degree, because it would remove barriers to our exports. More than 90 percent of Colombian goods already enter the U.S. tariff free, while U.S. exports are currently subject to taxes as high as 35 percent.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice indicated how high the stakes are when she said, 'From the perspective of American foreign policy and American interests, there is perhaps no more important free trade agreement in recent memory.' By contrast, the ruse devised by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to block the agreement was politics at its lowest. She eliminated the 'fast-track' rule that requires both houses to vote to accept or reject the trade pact within 90 legislative days. That move protects both Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, who have both been running populist campaigns opposed to free trade, despite their past records as proponents.

But the price of their political victory is far too high. As President Bush observed, the House vote 'is damaging to our economy, our national security and our relations with an important ally.' He added that the message House Democrats sent 'is that no matter how steadfastly you stand with us, we will turn our backs on you when it is politically convenient.'

The damage has been done, but the trade agreement is so beneficial to both the United States and Colombia that, as Andres Oppenheimer observes in a column on our Commentary page, reason may return after the November elections.

---

Notice about comments:
The Post and Courier is pleased to offer readers the ability to comment on stories. We expect our readers to engage in lively, yet civil discourse. The Post and Courier does not edit user submitted statements and we cannot promise that readers will not occasionally find offensive or inaccurate comments posted in the comments area. Responsibility for the statements posted lies with the person submitting the comment, not postandcourier.com. If you find a comment that is objectionable, please click "suggest removal" and we will review it for possible removal. Please be reminded, however, that in accordance with our Terms of Use and federal law, we are under no obligation to remove any third party comments posted on our Web site.
Full terms and conditions can be read here.

---

Comments

This article has  1 comment(s)