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| Pelosi backpedals, offers "real" reason for push-back on Columbia |
| 2008-04-11 |
| ABC's Jennifer Duck reports: The White House responded angrily Wednesday to a suggestion from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-CA that she might change legislative rules to avoid a required vote the disputed free-trade agreement with Colombia. According to existing rules, the Congress has 90 days to vote on legislation sent by the White House. White House spokesperson Dana Perino reacted angrily to Pelosi's suggestion. "Speaker Pelosi today did something unprecedented in the history negotiating trade deals in announcing the democrats would change the rules in the middle of the game," Perino said. The White House has aggressively pushed Congress to approve the trade deal with Colombia, arguing that supporting an ally in South America is in the best interest of the United States. But Democrats oppose the deal, which has been criticized by many labor groups and human rights organizations. The Democrats want to expand support for American workers displaced from their jobs by foreign trade before making more free trade expansion agreements. "It is clear that there are many in the Democratic party who would like to kill this bill. and they would like to do it without having their fingerprints on it. They want to do it in a way where they don't have to take a vote," Perino said. "You can bet that President Bush is going to bring this up at 3:00 when he sees the leaders." The President is scheduled to meet with congressional leaders, including Pelosi, at the White House Wednesday afternoon to discuss the trade deal and other matters. However Speaker Pelosi explained her move saying she thinks the bill would lose if it were brought to the floor immediately and it would send the wrong message to the world about the U.S. positiosn on trade. "I thought there was a risk (in) the President sending it to the Congress now. If brought to the floor immediately, it would lose. And what message would that send?" Pelosi said earlier today. She called Pelosi's suggestion "awful precedent" and said it was "terrible" for this administration and all future administrations. Perino said the White House has "worked tirelessly" and they "have bent over backwards to make this happen" adding "it will be interesting to see how the president deals with that today." Speaking about the Speaker's move Perino said sharply, "The fact that they don't even want to have a vote should maybe tell you something because maybe she's not so confident of the votes they have." After several minutes of Perino's criticisms of Pelosi, ABC's Ann Compton noted that the Press Secretary seemed "a little angry" about the sequence of events today. Perino responded, "I think we're pretty fired up about it. It is the right thing to do. The Free Trade Agreement with Colombia is the right thing to do and they know it. And that's why they don't want to take a vote on it because their special interests are pressuring them not to let this deal go through." |
| Posted by:gorb |
| #9 The only thing this bill does is eliminate the tarrifs on American goods going into Colombia. THe Unions say hop and Pelosi and a lot of other Democrats don't hesitate. |
| Posted by: Deacon Blues 2008-04-11 18:08 |
| #8 Ask Hugo - he's helping the drug runners in Columbia from Venezuela. Has his own "free trade" thing going I bet. |
| Posted by: OldSpook 2008-04-11 13:19 |
| #7 What, another Pelosi surrender ? Get off the floor Nancy, the money's for the beer. |
| Posted by: wxjames 2008-04-11 12:51 |
| #6 Are coke imports included in the trade figures? |
| Posted by: ed 2008-04-11 11:38 |
| #5 big jim, you do realize that we already have the same rules on Columbian imports that this treaty codifies, don't you? There's a rolling temporary deal that's been going on for quite a while. This does not improve Columbia's position at all, except to make the deal permanent. Oh yeah, I almost forgot, this treaty also makes it MUCH easier for the US to export to Columbia. Facts are funny things, aren't they? |
| Posted by: AlanC 2008-04-11 11:35 |
| #4 Pelosi's so stupid it's a wonder she still remembers how to breathe. |
| Posted by: Chief Running Gag 2008-04-11 11:27 |
| #3 However Speaker Pelosi explained her move saying she thinks the bill would lose if it were brought to the floor immediately and it would send the Fixed it for you Ms. Speaker. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2008-04-11 09:44 |
| #2 I think we're about one "free-trade agreement" away from a depression. Fairly soon there won't be anyone with a job left to buy their cheap imported crap. |
| Posted by: bigjim-ky 2008-04-11 08:31 |
| #1 I suspect that this game will play out much like all other games played before by Pelosi. All bluster and no meaningful action. If I was a democrat, I'd be tired of hearing Nancy posture and then get her ass whipped by reality. If it wasn't for the press covering for her, the democrats would have thrown her out long ago. |
| Posted by: Woodrow Slusorong7967 2008-04-11 07:40 |