Teamsters Chief Quits Bush Trade Advisory Group

[Khephra]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The head of the Teamsters union said he resigned on Thursday from a White House trade advisory panel in protest of President Bush's decision to sign a free trade pact with five Central American nations.

``I will no longer choose to lend legitimacy to a sham process in which our views and those of other important U.S. constituencies are not respected,'' Teamsters President James Hoffa said in a letter to Bush. ``Your approach to trade and economic integration only further isolates our nation from the very countries with whom we seek to trade.''

more............

http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/politics/politics-trade-labor-bush.html

[AwakeAtLast]

1. [Sound of nail being hammered] - n/t

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

2. Wow.

This is telling.

[Khephra]

4. Ain't that the truth?

Instead of this being major news, all anyone wants to talk about is Cheney's "F-word". This should have been top news tonight.

[Gman]

3. Even the Teamsters have left Bush

says a lot. When are the Carpenters gonna leave Bush?

[goclark]

5. Carpenters will never leave Bush

They made his Howdy Doody body for the Vice Pres.;-)

[KittyWampus]

6. Wonder If Hoffa's Changed His Mind Re: Drilling In ANWAR

[Tellurian]

7. Is anyone keeping track of all the defectors? nt

[happynewyear]

8. a mad Jimmy Hoffa in any year

in nothing to mess around with.

Oh don't you know it? :nuke:

Another defector indeed; a big one.

:dem: :kick:

[FlemingsGhost]

9. Who is this guy kidding?

"'I will no longer choose to lend legitimacy to a sham process in which
our views and those of other important U.S. constituencies are not
respected,' Teamsters President James Hoffa said in a letter to Bush."

What an odd thing for an unscrupulous criminal kingpin to say.

When you lives by it, Jimmy, you dies by it ... It just sucks to be snookered, huh?

[TeamsterDem]

10. Err, uh

Jimmy Hoffa an "unscrupulous criminal kingpin"? Where'd you get that from? Hoffa's dad was the one indicted and imprisoned; James P. (Hoffa the younger) has never been indicted much less convicted of anything.

While I've never liked the level of support Jr. threw Bush's way, I don't think it's fair or even accurate to paint him with the same brush as his dad.

At any rate, it's about time Jr. woke up.

[dusty64]

11. I guess chimp

won't be getting their endorsement afterall.