JUST WIN, BABY :

The Americas Prepare for Trade on a Fast Track : In a big and badly needed win for the Bush administration, the House and Senate last week gave the president trade promotion authority. (WALTER RUSSELL MEAD, 8/05/02, NY Times)

In a big and badly needed win for the Bush administration, the House and Senate last week gave the president trade promotion authority. Future trade agreements negotiated through 2007 can only be approved or rejected by Congress as they stand (no amendments allowed), vastly increasing the ability of the administration to negotiate trade deals with foreign nations.

The bill gave the president virtually everything he wanted. [...]

Last week's trade bill was also a signal victory for the Republican Party (Bill Clinton failed in three tries to get trade promotion authority through Congress). Trade negotiations are about horse trading; now Republican officials have the chance to decide what products to push and where to make compromises on trade deals that will affect the future of key industries and states. These efforts will be remembered by corporations when it comes time for campaign contributions.

As Mr. Mead rightly understands, the victory on Free Trade Authority really dwarfs almost everything else that's going on in Washington and represents another huge win for a White House that is compiling the best legislative record of our lifetimes. Posted by Orrin Judd at August 5, 2002 10:40 AM