Even our founders were not “fierce free traders”. They funded the nearly the entire government through tariffs. They also never placed foreign trade as the only holy route to liberty.
International “free trade” entanglements have put us on a rocket sled to the loss of national sovereignty. We have almost daily calls now for an international agency to regulate banking as a result of the AIG ans Subprime fraud.
Unregulated trade brought us the policy US taxpayer dollars being sent DIRECTLY to Germany and the UK. Unregulated commodity traders brought us 4 dollar gasoline.
Trade must always be subordinate to the interests of our nation.
Unregulated? You're being silly again.
Who would you suggest to manage this trade?