Rahm Emanuel Makes the Right Move on Colombia Trade Deal (Nichols / The Nation)

[struggle4progress]

By John Nichols, The Nation
Posted November 11, 2008

... In an appearance Sunday on ABC's This Week with George Stephanopoulos, Emanuel offered a signal that he intends to carry the Obama program forward -- as opposed to the Emanuel program.

The chief-of-staff told his fellow Clinton-White House alumnus that the Obama transition team will oppose any effort by the Bush administration to attach the Colombia Free Trade Agreement to an economic stimulus package in order to get the approval of the Bush Administration.

In his final debate last month with Republican John McCain, Obama made it clear that he opposes a deal with Colombia, a country with a tragic human rights and labor rights record. But, since the election, President Bush and his aides have been suggesting that their "price" for advancing a new stimulus package might be inclusion in that package of the Columbia FTA.

Emanuel was blunt and specific in expressing opposition to the Bush blackmail, arguing that it was essential to avoid creating policy conflicts that might slow the work of extending unemployment insurance and providing healthcare assistance to economically-embattled states ...

http://www.alternet.org/immigration/106426/rahm_emanuel_makes_the_right_move_on_colombia_trade_deal/

[Skink]

1. Bush is for it. Say no more.

[grantdevine]

2. No offense, but that strikes me as a very unintelligent position to take.

If your only consideration for policy is whether Bush was for it or not, then you place yourself in a narrow slot.

Surely you want to be more intelligent about what you support than that?

[Skink]

3. OK I like Emmanuel and his brothers.

And I am a yellow dog.

[struggle4progress]

4. How about "Unions are against it cuz Colombian death squads kill trade unionists"?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=3596863&mesg_id=3596863

[alarimer]

5. Good.

I heard that Obama actually mentioned to Bush that death squads in Colombia target union leaders.