House to vote on Colombia trade deal delay.

Though some progressives think House Speaker Pelosi may not be as protectionist as they would like.

Thoughts from before the changing of "the rules in the middle of the game".

USA Today says "Our view on free trade: Pass the Colombia pact"

The Houston Chronicle makes "The case for U.S. approval of Colombia free trade pact"

Regarding dissent on the deal the Las Vegas Review-Journal asks: "Are Democrats now the party of failed protectionism?"

Well, certainly not all Democrats, former President Bill Clinton is on board.

Protectionist forces rally around disinformation and alarmist language:

"The Colombia Free Trade Agreement is best summed up as a proposal to formalize U.S. support for the assassination of labor union organizers by death squads, impoverishment of workers and the undermining of farming operations that will leave more landless peasants with no alternative but to immigrate to the United States seeking work." - The Nation

"If we had been born in Colombia, we would probably be dead." - Huffington Post

Now we can almost excuse The Nation, their bias is well known, but it is sad that two Members of Congress have to resort to using discredited information based on "Labor Deceit".

Though some are not sure why labor opposes the deal.

We'll close with this observation from the Christian Science Monitor:

"Unless the United States now turns on its history of openness and starts withdrawing from the world, it's a bold assertion to say the Colombia pact will not pass. Congress has never rejected a free-trade pact, including one last year for Peru. And for good reason. America's ability to compete globally has made it the world's largest exporter and one of the wealthiest nations per capita.

The pact will add to that record by reducing barriers for US exports to a key South American country – one now besieged by leftist narco-terrorists supported by Venezuela's Castro-like leader. Colombia already enjoys much tariff-free access to US markets and has made big progress in its democracy and in suppressing drug cartels, curbing right-wing militias, and reducing the killing of labor activists.

Rejecting the pact would be a slap at Latin America and a signal to US Hispanics of Yankee antipathy to the US backyard. Democrats would also be ending their party's free-trade legacy (including Bill Clinton's) and failing to boost the US economy when it's needed. "