| One of the best anti-terror weapons we have is free trade. The trade rules help move societies towards personal liberty, rule of law, enforcement of contracts, and better distribution of wealth. Bush wins another one, and he'll win a couple more of these before he's done. So much for being a lame duck. |
WASHINGTON: Defying appeals from labor leaders, environmentalists and foes of free-trade, nearly half the Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives joined with the Bush administration's backers on Thursday to support a trade liberalization agreement with Peru that the White House hopes will lead to the approval of future trade deals.
The vote came Thursday morning and followed several hours of debate that exposed a deep fissure among Democrats. On one side were veterans from declining industrial areas of the Northeast and Midwest and younger critics of globalization. On the other was the House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, and other leaders arguing that trade brings benefits to many Americans and that the deal was worthy of Democratic support because it requires Peru to protect labor rights and the environment.
Voting for the trade agreement were 109 Democrats and 176 Republicans. Voting against it were 116 Democrats and 16 Republicans. (Eight members from each party did not vote.) The Senate is expected to take up the agreement soon and is likely to approve it. |