David S. Broder - Can Democrats Take Yes for an Answer?

Hey, Broder. Have you ever heard of CYA?

The language in the Trade Bill regarding trade with Peru and Panama makes the enforcement of the the child and prison labor prohibition unenforceable.

What the hell is the point in making law that no one intends to enforce and, worse, cannot be enforced?

What is the point in that?

CYA

...and then there is the simple fact that no one trusts anything the White House says or does anymore. That's called human nature.


David S. Broder - Can Democrats Take Yes for an Answer? - washingtonpost.com: "The issue of trade policy -- as critical to the nation's future as Iraq and every bit as divisive -- is now squarely before the Democratic Congress. It will almost certainly provide a huge challenge to its leadership.

The stage was set by a painfully negotiated deal between the White House and Democrats, announced last week, on the terms of trade in pending agreements with Peru and Panama. Those agreements with two small nations are just the overture for a much larger debate involving tariff-cutting deals with Colombia and South Korea. And then comes the monumental question of whether to give President Bush the same free hand that his predecessors have enjoyed in negotiating global and regional trade agreements, not amendable by Congress but subject only to an up-or-down vote.