Posted on 03/11/2008 9:33:27 AM PDT by NormsRevenge
ST. LOUIS (Reuters) - Republican presidential candidate John McCain criticized his Democratic rivals on Tuesday for pledging to renegotiate a hemispheric trade treaty that Democrats blame for U.S. manufacturing job losses.
At a town-hall meeting in St. Louis, the Arizona senator also called for the Democratic-controlled U.S. Congress to approve a free-trade treaty with Colombia that is being stymied on Capitol Hill.
"On trade, I'm a free trader," McCain told employees at Savvis Internet company, a session dominated by questions about the ailing U.S. economy.
McCain, the likely Republican nominee to run in the November election, is spending the week hop-scotching across several states raising money for his cash-strapped campaign ahead of a trip to the Middle East and Europe next week.
McCain, going to Jerusalem, London and Paris as part of a congressional delegation, said he would talk to NATO allies about Afghanistan and the need to do a better job in fighting the return of the Taliban.
He said he would reaffirm relationships he has with leaders there but would not intervene in U.S. efforts to arrange peace between Israelis and Palestinians.
"I just don't think it's appropriate for me to do so. But I certainly will be brought up to date and made aware of the, frankly, deterioration of the situation," he said.
In recent weeks, both Democratic rivals Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama have increased their criticism of the North American Free Trade Agreement linking the U.S. economy with those of Canada and Mexico.
They pledged to pull the United States out of the NAFTA agreement if Mexico and Canada did not agree to renegotiate it. Critics blame NAFTA, China's accession to the World Trade Organization and other trade agreements for many of the roughly 3 million manufacturing jobs the United States has lost since 2000.
"I do not believe in isolationism and protectionism," McCain said. "We've got to stop this protectionist NAFTA-bashing."
The Bush administration -- noting that U.S. manufacturing output and exports set records last year -- argues that increased worker productivity and advances in manufacturing technology account for many of the lost jobs.
U.S. Trade Representative Susan Schwab argues NAFTA had been good for all three countries and warned reopening it could backfire on the United States.
McCain said promoting green technologies would help the U.S. economy rebound from manufacturing job losses.
"The moral of the story is, my friends, is we're not going back to the old manufacturing base of the economy," he said.
Such a free Traitor, he pimped for free trade with communists enemies Vietnam and China.
I’m not a democrat but I’m a NAFTA basher too. One more reason I won’t vote for that piece of trash.
I’ve never felt better about my decision to not vote for him, I will not vote for him.
Oh, it just gets better.
Senator, I am no “friend” of yours. You can repeat those words all you want, but they won’t make it so.
He seems to have some bizarre form of Tourettes syndrome that causes him to insult everyone around him.
McCain is toast.
Mccain needs to be Spitzer’d it’s our only HOPE.
McCain advisers lobbied for Airbus ^
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1983892/posts
nothing to see here, move along .. :-)
I think the press has their talons out for McCain, all of a sudden. He may well wish they had ignored him for a few months.
Whether America manufactures everything should be determined based on comparative advantage (the difference in opportunity costs of producing on product vs another) and not on the various arguments about "lost manufacturing jobs".
...noting that U.S. manufacturing output and exports set records last year -- argues that increased worker productivity and advances in manufacturing technology account for many of the lost jobs.So which is better for the economy -- producing less and at a cost of 3 million more jobs, or producing MORE with fewer manufacturing jobs?
Memo to McAmnesty: I’m a conservative and an almost-former-Republican because of you and RINOs like you. And I’m against NAFTA and the version of so-called “Free Trade” you/RINOs favor because American jobs are lost, outsourced overseas, and American products are as rare on store shelves as snow in August!
Every time I think I may have to suck it up and very, very, very reluctantly push the voting button for him in November, he manages to say or do something that leaves me saying “never mind.”
The GOP is going to continue to lose until they learn to face the reality you stated in your comment. This isn’t about left vs right, it’s about right and wrong.
It’s interesting you say that, because it’s the only reason I can find to vote for him. Otherwise, he’s a Democrat.
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I agree. Let the Democrats pimp protectionism. Overall, NAFTA has benefitted American consumers greatly.
I’ve never believed in Nafta. It appears one sided, to our detriment, much like I view Kyoto accord. I coul;d believe in open trade if it was fair.
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