Bill Clinton Supports Colombia Trade Deal

Hillary Clinton's Campaign Acknowledges Former President Disagrees With Wife On Free Trade Agreement Sent To Congress

(AP)  The presidential campaign of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton said Tuesday that her husband, the former president, supports a free trade agreement with Colombia that she strenuously opposes.

The acknowledgment adds new hurdles to the New York senator's bid to woo Democratic voters in Pennsylvania and elsewhere who believe free trade agreements have eliminated thousands of U.S. jobs. On Sunday, she demoted her chief campaign strategist for his role in promoting the Colombia pact.

Hillary Clinton told union activists Tuesday she would do everything in her power to defeat the Colombia Free Trade Agreement now before Congress.

Her campaign spokesman, Jay Carson, said in response to a query from The Associated Press that the senator's opposition is "clear and firm." He added: "Like other married couples who disagree on issues from time to time, she disagrees with her husband on this issue. President Clinton has been public about his support for Colombia's request for U.S. trade preferences since 2000."

Bill Clinton has been his wife's most prominent campaign surrogate and advocate for months.

A high point of his presidency was passage of the North America Free Trade Agreement, which his wife now criticizes at virtually every campaign stop. White House records show that as first lady Hillary Clinton attended several meetings designed to build congressional support for NAFTA in the early 1990s. She says she had reservations about the pact at the time, and made her feelings known in such gatherings.

Speaking about the Colombia trade deal Tuesday to a meeting of the Communication Workers of America, she said: "As I have said for months, I oppose the deal, I have spoken out against the deal, I will vote against the deal and I will do everything I can to urge the Congress to reject the Colombia free trade agreement."

On Sunday, Mark Penn left his post as top strategist for Clinton's campaign after it was reported that he had met with Colombia's ambassador to the United States to discuss passage of the agreement. Colombia was a client of Penn's large public relations firm, Burson-Marsteller.

Many labor unions, including the CWA, oppose such trade deals, saying they displace U.S. jobs and encourage abuses of workers and the environment in other countries.

As president, Bill Clinton's support of trade agreements with Mexico, Canada, China and other nations often put him at odds with fellow Democrats and labor leaders who backed a more protectionist approach. Mr. Clinton argued that Democrats should support lower barriers to trade because the nation, on balance, would benefit.

Many nonpartisan economists agree.

In 2005, the former president was paid $800,000 by Gold Service International, a Bogota-based business development group, for four days of appearances in Mexico, Colombia and Brazil. The group supports, among other things, the Colombia Free Trade Agreement.

Hillary Clinton's Democratic rival, Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois, noted his opposition to the Colombia deal Tuesday when he spoke to the CWA group moments after Clinton left the stage. He said he opposes the treaty "because when organizing workers puts an organizer's life at risk, as it does in Colombia, it makes a mockery of our labor protections."

President Bush on Monday sent the proposed Colombia deal to Congress, which has 90 days to ratify or reject it. The administration says it would help the United States by eliminating high barriers for U.S. exports to Colombia. Most Colombian products enter the United States duty free under existing trade preference laws, the administration says.

Obama did not mention Penn in his 25-minute speech to CWA activists. But in a conference call arranged by his campaign, Teamsters President James Hoffa called on Clinton to cut all ties with Penn, who continues to advise her campaign.

"This latest issue with Mark Penn really hurts her credibility," especially on trade issues, said Hoffa, who supports Obama.

In a separate conference call, Clinton spokesman Howard Wolfson likened Penn to a newspaper editor who "plays an important role but isn't in charge" of the paper.

Earlier this week, aides said both Clintons were angry upon hearing of Penn's meeting with the Colombia's ambassador, which proved deeply embarrassing to the campaign.

[termtex01]

More proof from Dems that if you can''t play by the rules, change the rules:

:House changes rules to put off vote on Colombia trade agreement




Associated Press - April 10, 2008 2:03 PM ET

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Democratic-led House of Representatives has changed its rules to put off a vote on a free trade agreement with Colombia and thwart President George W. Bush''s effort to reward a key South American ally.

The 224-195 vote to eliminate a rule forcing House action on the agreement in all likelihood kills consideration of the Colombia pact this year.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other Democrats argue that the free trade deal should not be considered until more is done to revive the American economy and help American workers hurt by trade.
:

[b-easy63]

Hillary Supporters Speak Out!!
April 11, 2008 (Friday)
at 8:00 A.M.
NBC Headquarters
West 48th St. & Rockefeller Plaza
New York City

What the Protest is About!!

We demand an END to Media Bias!
We demand an END to Prejudice against Hillary!
We demand Florida & Michigan votes COUNT as cast!
We demand an END to Rigging of the Democratic Primary!
Finally, we demand that the SuperDelegates discount all primaries and let them disenfrachise the rest of the voters so Hillary can win. We withdraw this request, if they don''t plan to vote for Hillary!!!











Dems are sooooooooooooo stupid what other Party couyld break their Party into with fraud

Posted by pepperp1 at 10:39 AM : Apr 09, 2008

[b-easy63]

Both Obama and Hillary are excellent candidates with nearly identical platforms. Take your nastiness somewhere else.

Posted by IRLiberal at 11:28 AM : Apr 09, 2008


Obama does not have a spouse and chief strategist cozying up to CAFTA delegates--and Obama nor his wife got 800,000.00 to try to gain support for CAFTA. Bill and Hillary did and the rabbit hole is most certainly deeper than that. Great candidate my azz, she can''t tell the truth and she won''t pay her campaign bills and she can''t manage her people.

[b-easy63]

If Dean Brazile Clyburn Kennedy and Pelosi want Obama we want anyone BUT him.


Posted by shutupNvote at 11:28 AM : Apr 09, 2008


We sure as he11 don''t want lying scheming NAFTAGATE Hillary and her Dubai port, Columbia 800K making hubby. Do you really think Hillary operates in a vacuum? 800K for Bill is also 800K for Hillary--because who do you think lobbyist want to influence--lawmakers or Presidents? Or ex-Presidents.

Hillary is a sell out--only her 17% of Dems want her---a loser through and through.

[b-easy63]

Hillary supports CAFTA too. She just can''t tell her suckers...er... I mean voters that, until after she is elected. LOL

[jockh]

The Clintons are tight fisted money grabbers. Despite lining their pockets with 109 MILLION, Hillary merely LOANS her campaign 5 MILLION. Why doesnt she GIVE it to her campaign instead of LOANING and put her money where her mouth is? After all, other candidates like Mitt Romney put millions of their own money into their own campaigns.

That way she would be showing that she has complete confidence in her campaign and this in turn would encourage other donations.

However, she loans instead of gives to her own campaign because she knows she is going to lose so she would rather waste donors money in her futile campaign and keep all her millions nice and safe; so she can sleep in a solid gold bed with a mattress stuffed with 100 dollar bills. And solid gold pant suits for herself and Chelsea !!

[jockh]

Hillary says she is in the race to win. Just one problem. She''''s already lost.

Obama holds an insurmountable lead in what matters most: the pledged delegates, the popular vote, number of states won and money raised.

She needs superdelegates to overturn the will of the voters. If they nominate Hillary, the Democratic Party will be no better than Bush and Rove were in the 2000 election. It will be a stolen nomination and all credibility will be lost, taking them decades to recover. It would devastate thousands of loyal voters, the party''s new fund-raising base, and would destroy an opportunity to strengthen a new generation of Democrats.

Clinton''s scenario for victory requires splitting her own party. It is a divisive strategy, but she doesn''t care. Her personal ambitions are more important than the party winning. Her campaign adopts a bizarre "insult-40-states strategy," which belittles states small, liberal and Red. Apparently, the only states that matter are the ones she coincidentally happens to win.

Hillary agreed in writing that the votes in Fl and Mi would not count and she did not speak out in their defence because she thought she had the nomination in the bag. Her new found support for Fl and Mi is because she needs to scrape the bottom of the barrel for support.

As a democrat, I am ashamed that a greedy, desperate woman is hijacking and sabotaging the Democratic party.

[b-easy63]

Oh - HOW CREDIBLE. You go to the Obama camp for your news and opinions ????

This is such a sick election cycle. If this guy gets the nomination I hope Rove eats him alive.




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Posted by ThinksFast at 02:20 PM : Apr 09, 2008
**********************************
******

I''''m curious. Why do you think this is a "sick" election cycle?

Posted by kansas1946 at 12:19 AM : Apr 10, 2008


because Hillary is a certified loser and her supporters don''t know what to do about her or that fact. LOL

[b-easy63]

Hillary is for CAFTA--watch. She''s got her husband as front man getting the bucks--while she says she is not for it and panders to the unions. Yeah. She''s not for it, but the man she is married to takes 800,000.00 to try to influence someone for Columbia. If Pennsylvania is stupid enough to believe Hillary cares about them and will not give them the shaft--they deserve her, Bill and the rest of the jobs that Hillary will move out. The NAFTA lie should have taught the blue collars--there is a HUGE difference between what Hillary says and what she actually DOES--and her words are cheap and often lies--watch what she does.

She and Bill took the money..the chief strategist for her campaign was down there to deal and the Columbians are not sure if he came as his firm or representing her--but when it came to criticism on the CAFTA deal--they only criticized Obama. Wonder why? LMAO

[trishab4]

Posted by trishab4 at 11:23 AM

Oh go troll in a bag of tootsie rolls. You''''ll find it more rewarding and we''''ll find you less annoying.

Both Obama and Hillary are excellent candidates with nearly identical platforms. Take your nastiness somewhere else.
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Posted by IRLiberal at 11:28 AM : Apr 09, 2008

-IAintLiberal, name it tootsie roll or Oreo; makes no difference, but he''s gonna be the first black and white (mulato) president of the USA. I wished it could be a black woman, but hey Whoopie Goldberg or Oprah Winfrey are busy educatin'' America.