[dennisw]

I will give you credit for reading it :) I was paying attention back then and I remember when Reagan jammed the Japanese memory chip makers. One Reagan appointee who disagreed with this policy said “Potato chips, computer chips, they're all the same who cares” As in who cares about keeping American chip makers in business

[C. Edmund Wright]

For every rule, there are exceptions, and there are always situations that have many cross currents at play, and there are also political realities. Reagan had to deal with those, as does any President. Like Reagan, I believe in free markets, including trade, all the while realizing that the world economy is an incredibly complex place, and there are always other issues besides the trade issue, that impact trade policy.