I understand the point Charles Hurt is trying to make here, but I have a question: How do we know which Obama is for real? If his NAFTA rhetoric was crafted to please a particular audience, isn’t it just as plausible that his hosannas to the wonders of free trade are equally calculated? Everyone at these summits talks about the benefits of trade, and then they go home and allow protectionist impulses to rule. Most lack the nerve to make the same principled case for trade liberalization to the interest groups that control domestic politics. Since Obama took office, his Treasury Secretary has accused China of currency manipulation; his party has angered our trading partners by inserting “Buy American” provisions into the stimulus bill; we’ve seen no movement on the trade agreements left over from the Bush administration, including the Colombia deal that is pretty much a one-way liberalization — opening their borders to our products; and we’ve gotten ourselves into a trade war with Mexico.

Obama the free-trader? I’ll believe it when I see it.