Trade spats are 'sort of normal'

摘要

In the U.S. as abroad, George W. Bush is accused of backtracking on the freer-trade policies of recent years. In recent cases―steel, lumber, farm products and textiles― his administration has initiated or accepted measures effectively raising barriers to imports. Some actions appear designed to mollify those inclined to deny the President an up-or-down vote in the U.S. Congress on whatever broader trade agreement he might be able to negotiate. Without that authority, the legislative branch could amend any pact as it saw fit. One Bush player with a long history in the subject is Kenneth Dam, the No. 2 official at the traditionally pro-trade Treasury Department. Dam served in both the Nixon and Reagan administrations, when trade issues were also hot. A professor at the University of Chicago Law School, he has associated with economists from that school and has practiced business law, most notably at IBM.