Barack Obama has just confirmed what I said before, if Columbia a strong US ally that has been successfully fighting a guerrilla war against a terrorist group funded and equipped by America’s enemies, cannot get a free trade agreement passsed, what hope does Korea have of getting an FTA passed as well?:
U.S. presidential hopeful Barack Obama on Thursday sent a letter to U.S. President George W. Bush urging him not to submit the Korea-U.S. free trade agreement for ratification by Congress.
In the letter, the Democratic party frontrunner said, “Like many members of Congress, I oppose the U.S.-Korea FTA, which I believe is badly flawed. In particular, the terms of the agreement fall well short of assuring effective, enforceable market access for American exports of manufactured goods and many agricultural products.”
Obama, who relies on support from American labor unions that oppose the FTA, will have sent the letter with the November presidential election in mind. It adds another hurdle to ratification this year since even House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who has the authority to submit the trade agreement for a congressional vote, remains negative on the FTA. [Chosun Ilbo]
It makes me wonder if Obama is as serious with his opposition of the US-Korea FTA as he is with his opposition to NAFTA?
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12:29 pm on May 27th, 2008 1
I hope Obama wins.
3:58 pm on May 27th, 2008 2
Obama appears to state that FTA is actually a bad deal for AMERICANS, not koreans. There’s probably some political angle here, because he can win votes by portraying FTA like NAFTA - A sellout of America’s jobs and market to foreign interests. In some states where trades have been a boon the candidates tone down the anti NAFTA rhetorics.
I’m sure some Koreans will be delighted with Obama’s seemingly anti American statement, but he’s not on their side. I can’t even imagine Obama so much as hinting that “We put Korean consumers at risk because our American beef is infected with mad cow disease” That’s bullseye for “All American cattle / agricultural industries vote for hillary or Mccain NOW!”
10:08 am on May 28th, 2008 3
Who cares what Obama thinks about anything. It isn’t like he is going to be president.
McCain is a big, fat nothing that couldn’t win an election if they gave it to him… but, by running Obama (or Hillary), the Democrats aren’t just going to give the election to McCain, they are going to force him to win.
As, once Hillary is safely out of the picture and the Democrats are done tearing themselves down, the Swiftboating will start. Something like this, perhaps…
“Presidential hopeful Barack Obama has an indicted, Syrian-born Chicago shyster named Tony Rezko for a financial mentor. He has a screwball, race-baiting, America-hating pastor named Jeremiah Wright for a spiritual mentor. He has an unrepentant domestic terrorist named William Ayers for a political mentor. And he has one of the angriest wives ever to aspire to the position of First Lady.”
Yep. Welcome, President John “Keating Five” McCain.
Goodbye, Barack “we don’t care what you think about the FTA or anything else” Obama.
11:24 am on May 28th, 2008 4
Chickenhead, stop reading talking points and look at the map.
1:26 pm on May 28th, 2008 5
GRH,
Don’t misunderstand.
I didn’t repeat those talking points as my personal opinion. I simply cited them as an example of what will be repeated over and Over and OVER again by the Republican machine when the real campaigning starts.
Of course they have been quiet until now as Clinton and Obama have been doing a fine job of tearing each other down… and, many Republicans are delighted to see Hillary fail… not only for historical reasons but because Obama seems easier to beat in the general election.
While Hillary has lots of dirt, not much really stuck after 8 years in the White House. Obama, on the other hand, has a scandal tree filled with low-hanging fruit.
Apart from surrounding himself by a bunch of scary nut-jobs that Joe Average can’t relate to (unlike McCain who surrounds himself by understandable white-collar criminals) there are also the issues of homosexuality and drug use.
Is it all true? Who knows… but when the publicity starts, there are going to be a lot of people who would like to show how open-minded they are by voting for the Black Man… but are going to be able to rationalize a McCain vote by saying, “It’s not because he’s black, it’s because of (insert media-created scandal here).”
A very small percentage of voters MIGHT do a bit more research… but not if they bring back a good season of American Gladiators.
And, if you are anybody, from the corporate-owned media to the defense industry, a continuation of the present situation under McCain is preferable to an unpredictable Obama… so he shouldn’t expect too much support from the “liberal” media.
Let’s see.
2:11 pm on May 30th, 2008 6
Speaking of the future swiftboating of Obama, here is a further sample of what will come up.
I have no idea if these are true… but many voters will take it at face value and vote for a “safe” candidate (McCain) who isn’t encumbered with suspicions of Islamic or Afro-centric sympathies.
rense.com/general82/notex.htm
5:13 pm on May 30th, 2008 7
Chickenhead, I read that stuff on Obama, but I don’t think he made any of those quotes. They may be paraphrasing, but they are not quotes. In that case it seems to me that this is a strawman arguement.