| Montana Sen. Max Baucus is all over the news displaying his outrage at the proposed U.S.-South Korea Free Trade Agreement. As the Denver Post reports, Baucus and other Western senators are upset that the deal does not include provisions making sure South Korea opens its markets for beef.
This is, of course, a very valid concern. But is Max "The World Is Flat" Baucus really going to scuttle all the other things he likes about such a trade deal for this one provision? Is he really willing to give up all those patents protections for his former staffers-turned-drug-industry lobbyists, and all those intellectual property protections for high tech products - all for beef? To Max, wouldn't that be throwing out the baby with the bathwater in the same way he criticizes fair trade Democrats when they threaten to filibuster entire trade deals over labor, human rights and environmental standards?
Of course it would - Max has pharmaceutical and high-tech campaign donors to think about. So why isn't he coming out against "fast track" trade negotiating authority, so that Congress could simply amend his concerns into the proposed U.S.-South Korea Trade Agreement?
Right now, "fast track" allows presidents to send final trade deals to Congress for a simple up-or-down vote - and prevents lawmakers like Max from amending the deals to address their concerns. Without "fast track," Max could offer an amendment to the U.S.-South Korea Trade Agreement forcing South Korea to open its beef markets as a condition of the deal. Put another way, Baucus's current behavior inadvertently makes a strong case for him to oppose "fast track."
So Max, are you still saying you support reauthorizing presidential "fast track" authority, all while you are stomping your feet in outrage about the South Korea deal? Or do you think maybe you might reconsider this inherently ridiculous behavior? |
