President Bush Defends Free-trade Agreements

This year's North American summit had the perfect timing of an old jazz band for President Bush. It gave him a pulpit to defend the North American free trade zone against opposition from Democrats running for the White House. It also gave him a chance to push Congress to ratify free trade deals with Panama, South Korea, and Colombia amid rising anti-trade sentiment on Capitol Hill. He said he is a strong advocate for free trade. He met with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, and Mexican President Felipe Calderon. This summit came at an opportune time to reaffirm the benefits of the trading arrangements between the three nations.