DEMOCRATS IN DISARRAY, BUSH GETS MASSIVE FREE TRADE WIN :

Top Democrats Disagree on Trade Bill Deal (DOUG PALMER, 7/26/02, Reuters)

Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle on Friday backed a compromise agreement that would boost the White House's ability to negotiate new trade pacts, but the House of Representative's top Democrat said he would work to defeat it. [...]

[H]ouse Minority Leader Dick Gephardt, a Missouri Democrat, said the final trade package "still contains many of the problems it contained" in an earlier House bill. He said House Democrats would attempt to defeat the measure when it comes to a vote, which could be as early as Friday. [...]

The White House has not had the negotiating authority since 1994 mainly because of Democratic Party concerns over the effect of trade agreements on workers and the environment.

There's been a great deal of inane talk that President Bush's politically motivated steel tariff decision meant an end to GOP support of free trade. But, as the trade authority voting shows, it continues to be Democrats (with the notable exception of Bill Clinton) who oppose trade. This bill, which could essentially extend NAFTA to the entire Western Hemisphere, is more important than any of the stock market stories of the last several weeks. But don't look for our headline on the NY Times tomorrow, eh? Posted by Orrin Judd at July 26, 2002 1:58 PM