The SF Gate on trade:

Finally, free trade comes up as an issue in the presidential election...But was that enough to get past the "talk to the hand" posture of interest groups -- mainly unions -- which have stalled action on Colombia and South Korean agreements in the Democratic-controlled Congress? That seems unlikely, at least during this election cycle.

Still, "their passage remains a dream devoutly wished for by Stanford graduate Susan Schwab in her dying weeks as the Bush administration's U.S. Trade Representative. "We really believe the votes are there," she said on a recent fly-the-flag visit to the Bay Area.

Having accompanied her on the trip, I can attest to that. Palo Alto's Facebook, some of whose young employees had engaged in humanitarian work in Colombia, was particularly "rabid" on the subject, according to participants in its meeting with Schwab. Applied Materials and Intel were keen on gaining more access to the South Korean market. Apple had concerns about Europe throwing up new barriers. For Otis McAllister, which has a major presence in Central and South America, getting into Colombia was "critical."

Schwab believes that San Francisco's congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, who as House Speaker has not allowed a vote on the agreements, actually "gets it" (a view shared by others closer to Pelosi). But few who met with Schwab appeared to have much regard for their congressional representatives on the matter.

"We write our congressperson. We write our senator. We rarely get a response. Maybe because we're just a business," said Otis McAllister's CEO Royce Nicolaisen.

At the U.S. Chamber nobody is "just a business". If you are interested in growing the economy, join us by keeping up the pressure on your representatives.  And make sure you let them know that trade is the best port in an economic storm.