There was always one policy area in which I thought the Clinton Administration did a reasonably good job, or, at least, had relatively-reasonable policy positions–trade policy.

Now the Bush Administration, after being on a hot streak of superior performance over the previous one, has stumbled badly.

At least Bill Clinton seemed to believe in free trade. It sickened me just now to hear Ari Fleischer trotting out the economically-ignorant phrase “fair trade.”

Will anyone point out how many jobs this will cost us, or how many jobs won’t be created as a result of this Administration’s spineless refusal to explain and defend the Law of Comparative Advantage?