Thursday, December 27, 2007
The Wall Street Journal
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119871976651151845.html
The 110th Congress did one very good deed this month,
as the Senate passed the U.S.-Peru free trade accord, 77-18. That
follows the 285-131 vote in the House last month, and is a glimmer
of pro-growth policy amid what has otherwise been a tide of tax
increases and regulatory and lawsuit expansions.
Credit in particular goes to Ways and Means Chairman
Charlie Rangel, who managed the deal around and through the Democratic
caucus. Kudos as well to GOP leaders, who provided enough House
votes to make up for the fact that a majority of Democrats opposed the
bill. In the House, the partisan breakdown was 109 Democrats and 176
Republicans in favor, 116 Democrats and 16 Republicans opposed. In the more
free-trade Senate, a majority of both parties voted aye.
Peru is one of Latin America's fastest growing
economies, and adding it to our club of free-trade partners is a strategic
triumph in a hemisphere menaced by Hugo Chávez. The question now is
whether Democrats will press ahead with the even more crucial
Colombia free trade pact, or decide that Peru is enough.
By now, most unbiased observers have noted the
remarkable job Colombian President Álvaro Uribe has done to return
peace and security to that country since taking office in 2002. And we're
confident Mr.Rangel wants to do the right thing, but he keeps
getting whipsawed by Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the AFL-CIO.
Mr. Rangel recently said that failing to approve the
Colombia FTA would be a "a rebuff to a great president and to a
great country and a great ally." A day later, he released an email
statement clarifying his position: "I do not support passage of the
Colombia FTA -- there simply are not enough votes to take up this
agreement." Do Democrats really want to lose Colombia?
The Wall Street Journal
http://online.
The 110th Congress did one very good deed this month,
as the Senate passed the U.S.-Peru free trade accord, 77-18. That
follows the 285-131 vote in the House last month, and is a glimmer
of pro-growth policy amid what has otherwise been a tide of tax
increases and regulatory and lawsuit expansions.
Credit in particular goes to Ways and Means Chairman
Charlie Rangel, who managed the deal around and through the Democratic
caucus. Kudos as well to GOP leaders, who provided enough House
votes to make up for the fact that a majority of Democrats opposed the
bill. In the House, the partisan breakdown was 109 Democrats and 176
Republicans in favor, 116 Democrats and 16 Republicans opposed. In the more
free-trade Senate, a majority of both parties voted aye.
Peru is one of Latin America's fastest growing
economies, and adding it to our club of free-trade partners is a strategic
triumph in a hemisphere menaced by Hugo Chávez. The question now is
whether Democrats will press ahead with the even more crucial
Colombia free trade pact, or decide that Peru is enough.
By now, most unbiased observers have noted the
remarkable job Colombian President Álvaro Uribe has done to return
peace and security to that country since taking office in 2002. And we're
confident Mr.Rangel wants to do the right thing, but he keeps
getting whipsawed by Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the AFL-CIO.
Mr. Rangel recently said that failing to approve the
Colombia FTA would be a "a rebuff to a great president and to a
great country and a great ally." A day later, he released an email
statement clarifying his position: "I do not support passage of the
Colombia FTA -- there simply are not enough votes to take up this
agreement." Do Democrats really want to lose Colombia?
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