McCain's magical free trade adventure

Presumptive Republican Presidential nominee John McCain finished his "free trade is fabulous" tour of Mexico and Colombia this week, following a stint in the Midwest where many Americans have lost work due to NAFTA.

BTW, not to be a conspiracy theorist, but is it me or is it just coincidence that three U.S. government contractors captured by FARC, just so happen to be "rescued" by the Colombia government while McCain is in the country. It smells of McCain and Uribe trying to look like they are defending "freedom and patriotism" the same week of July 4th. I'm just saying...

But back to the subject at hand, just like his "I'm down with Negroes" tour a few months back, where he tried to fool Americans into believing that he actually cares about black people, McCain's Latin American trip is designed to convince Americans about the benefits of globalization.

From The Wall Street Journal:

...He was also highlighting his support for the pending free-trade agreement with Colombia, which he says is needed to support a vital partner in the region. Sen. Barack Obama and many Democrats say there are still too many human-rights abuses, particularly against labor activists, to allow the pact to go through.

Sen. McCain declined to mention Sen. Obama by name, even though his host, Mr. Uribe obliquely said he was pleased with recent comments by Sen. Obama.

"The only discussion I had concerning the presidential campaign was that I believe that any partisanship ends at the water's edge," he said.

The partisan skirmish persisted in the air en route to Colombia, though. Aboard his plane, the Arizona senator told reporters that Sen. Obama would represent a step backward for trade that could endanger the U.S. economy.

"He's a protectionist and anti-free trade," he said.

Sen. McCain told reporters that he raised human rights with Mr. Uribe and said he was assured that progress is being made. Mr. Uribe appeared with Sen. McCain at the evening news conference but declined to answer any questions.

Earlier in the week, Sen. McCain said that the abuses are not bad enough to hold up the agreement. "I balance [human-rights abuse] against Uribe and his administration's rescue of Colombia from a failed-state status," he told reporters in Pennsylvania Monday. The abuses do not justify the need "to throw out the entire theory of free trade..."

For the record, Obama also has a NAFTA problem.

However, let me get this straight, according to McCain and the Bush Administration (one in the same), FARC are human rights abusers because they captured Americans, but Colombia's abuse of its own people is not bad enough for the United States to rethink its trade policy with the country.

God bless America!