Free Republic

PRESIDENT BUSH SIGNED the Central American Free Trade Agreement on Tuesday in a White House ceremony made possible in part by 15 House Democrats, who defected from their party's otherwise solid bloc and supported the pact. There has been a lot of talk about the "CAFTA 15," and their votes could cost them dearly. Union leaders have already pledged to try to oust them in Democratic primaries next year, and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco is reportedly threatening to yank plum committee assignments. It's a sad day for the Democratic Party when narrow-minded protectionism has become the...

The House pulled out a victory on the Central American Free Trade Agreement late Wednesday, though so narrowly that the White House may need to rethink its "bilateral" trade strategy. Protectionists have all the intensity on these smallish trade deals, while supporters tend to be less passionate than they would be on larger, multilateral agreements such as the ongoing Doha global trade round. Another negative political note is the declining support among Democrats for open trade. The White House had to deliver 202 House Republicans to pass Cafta, 217-215, because only 15 Democrats bucked their party leadership to vote yes....