The reaction from conservative circles is that Bush finally came to his senses. They will not admit that Bush is free trade and ignore free trade pacts with Singapore, Chile (others in progress) and focus on minor tariff spats with China and others to prove their point.

The truth is that GWB is a lot smarter than even the conservatives give him credit for. I think he gambled and won that he was intervening at the bottom of the market and that steel prices had to rebound (along with the economy, etc.) Analysts believe that this price rebound alone will allow the Administration to lift tariffs and this have nary an impact on domestic steel jobs and profits.This does not mean that Dems will not jump all over him and the Adminstration must make Dems (a) have to argue how they come down on the side of "unilateralism" (rebuffing the WTO) while being good world citizens and (b) have to criticize the EU for interfering in American politics by threatening to levy punitive sanctions on products of political swing states.

He could hardly have picked a better poster child for how self-defeating tariffs are.

And, simultaneously, gain votes in Michigan. There are steel workers here, but far, far more in the auto industry.