This editorial appeared in The Kansas City Star.
President Obama's record on trade sometimes has been hard to decipher. He voted in favor of a free-trade pact with Peru, but against the Central American Free Trade Agreement. At times during his campaign, he questioned some benefits of liberalized trade.
That's why a recent speech by U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk is so encouraging.
Kirk announced that the administration is prepared to move ahead on free-trade accords with Panama, Colombia and South Korea. Those agreements, negotiated earlier by the Bush administration, still await action by Congress.
Bipartisan support exists for the deal with Panama, Kirk said, but the accords with Colombia and South Korea are more controversial. Indeed, Obama opposed those two pacts while in the Senate.
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