McCain Camp Response on Obama Camp's Trade Criticism

All: Here's our response to the Obama campaign's attack today on John McCain's free trade position this morning:

“Barack Obama's shifting positions on free trade won't add more jobs or get our economy back on track. During the Democratic primary, Sen. Obama called NAFTA a ‘big mistake' and pledged to unilaterally renegotiate it, but now he calls his previous position ‘overheated and amplified.' You can't change your position depending on who you're talking to or what election you're in and expect to be taken seriously. That's pandering, not leadership. As his recent reversals on key issues like NAFTA, FISA, the Second Amendment and public financing clearly show, Barack Obama's words don't mean that much to him. So we'll stay tuned to see what his position is tomorrow.” --McCain spokesman Brian Rogers

Barack Obama Is Backtracking On His Support For Unilaterally Renegotiating NAFTA

During The Primaries, Barack Obama Pledged To Unilaterally Renegotiate NAFTA. NBC'S TIM RUSSERT: "A simple question. Will you as president say to Canada and Mexico, this [NAFTA] has not worked for us, we are out?" OBAMA: "I will make sure that we renegotiate in the same way that Senator Clinton talked about, and I think actually Senator Clinton's answer on this one is right. I think we should use the hammer of a potential opt-out as leverage to ensure that we actually get labor and environmental standards that are enforced." (Sen. Barack Obama, MSNBC Democrat Presidential Debate, Cleveland, OH, 2/26/08)

· Obama: "I Don't Think NAFTA Has Been Good For America - And I Never Have." Obama: "Ten years after NAFTA passed, Senator Clinton said it was good for America. ... Well, I don't think NAFTA has been good for America - and I never have." (David Espo, "Obama Hits Clinton On NAFTA Support," The Associated Press, 2/24/08)

In The General Election, Barack Obama Now Says His Words Were "Overheated And Amplified," After Calling NAFTA “Devastating” And “A Big Mistake” During Primary. "In an interview with Fortune to be featured in the magazine's upcoming issue, the presumptive Democratic nominee backed off his harshest attacks on the free trade agreement and indicated he didn't want to unilaterally reopen negotiations on NAFTA. 'Sometimes during campaigns the rhetoric gets overheated and amplified,' he conceded, after I reminded him that he had called NAFTA 'devastating' and 'a big mistake,' despite nonpartisan studies concluding that the trade zone has had a mild, positive effect on the U.S. economy." (Nina Easton, "Obama: NAFTA Not So Bad After All," Fortune, 6/18/08)

· "In An Interview With Fortune To Be Featured In The Magazine's Upcoming Issue, The Presumptive Democratic Nominee Backed Off His Harshest Attacks On The Free Trade Agreement And Indicated He Didn't Want To Unilaterally Reopen Negotiations On NAFTA." (Nina Easton, "Obama: NAFTA Not So Bad After All," Fortune, 6/18/08)

· Obama Adviser Today Says Obama Won't Open Up Negotiations Unilaterally. OBAMA ADVISOR LINDA DOUGLASS: “You can't open up negotiations unilaterally. What he has said, he certainly wants to speak when he's president of the United States, to Canada and Mexico to see about strengthening NAFTA. There are concerns about NAFTA. But he has made it very clear, you cannot as the United States go in and unilaterally open up trade agreement like that. It's very important to Senator Obama to see that all of our trade agreements are, both, he supports free trade. He supports fair trade. And he supports trade that has strong enforcement mechanisms. Trade that has labor protections, environmental protections. Those are the kinds of things that he's going to be pushing for when he is president.” (MSNBC's "Morning Joe," 7/2/08)

Barack Obama Opposes Creating A Level Playing Field Between American And Colombia Goods

Currently, 90% Of All Goods That Colombia Exports To The United States Enter Duty Free While Duties Are Imposed On Nearly All U.S. Goods Exported To Colombia. "That concern comes despite some experts' assessments that U.S. businesses, on balance, would be the real winners. A key reason: Under the Andean Trade Promotion and Drug Eradication Act now in effect, more than 90% of all goods that Colombia sells in the United States enter duty-free, while duties are imposed on nearly all U.S. goods sold in Colombia." (Chris Kraul, "In Colombia, McCain Backs Free Trade," Los Angeles Times, 7/2/08)

· Barack Obama Tells The AFL-CIO That He Opposes Colombia Free Trade Agreement And Other Trade Deals. Obama: "But what I refuse to accept is that we have to sign trade deals like the South Korea Agreement that are bad for American workers. What I oppose - and what I have always opposed - are trade deals that put the interests of multinational corporations ahead of the interests of Americans workers - like NAFTA, and CAFTA, and permanent normal trade relations with China. And I'll also oppose the Colombia Free Trade Agreement if President Bush insists on sending it to Congress ..." (Sen. Barack Obama, Remarks To The AFL-CIO, Philadelphia, PA, 4/2/08)