WHAT ABOUT THE STEEL TARIFFS?:

White House Looks to Wrap New Trade Deals (MARTIN CRUTSINGER, 9/08/05, The Associated Press)

[U.S. Trade Representative Rob] said the administration hoped to complete free trade talks this year with Panama and Oman and complete negotiations with Thailand and the Andean nations of South America next year as well as complete a free trade deal with the United Arab Emirates.

In addition, Portman said the administration hoped to make decisions by the end of this year on whether to launch new free trade talks with South Korea, Egypt, Malaysia and Switzerland, all countries which have requested negotiations with the United States.

Before the Bush administration took office, the United States only had free trade agreements in effect with three nations _ Canada, Mexico and Israel. Bush, however, has pushed to get congressional approval of deals with Jordan, Chile, Singapore, Morocco and Australia.

And in a two-vote House victory this summer, Bush won approval of the Central American Free Trade Agreement eliminating barriers with Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic.

Maybe now the libertarians will come down off of the ledge?

Posted by Orrin Judd at September 9, 2005 6:48 AM