From the NYT:
Congress passed three long-awaited free trade agreements on Wednesday,
ending a political standoff that has stretched across two presidencies.
The move offered a rare moment of bipartisan accord at a time when
Republicans and Democrats are bitterly divided over the role that
government ought to play in reviving the sputtering economy.
The approval of the deals with South Korea, Colombia and Panama is a victory for President Obama and proponents of the view that foreign trade can drive America’s economic growth in the face of rising protectionist
sentiment in both political parties. They are the first trade
agreements to pass Congress since Democrats broke a decade of Republican
control in 2007.
