Fareed Zakaria argues that the Democrats should move toward a “cushion-and-train” agenda so that they can embrace free trade. What’s the evidence–this is a real, not a rhetorical question–that countries with the extensive welfare states Zakaria seems to favor are more pro-trade than our country is?

(Incidentally, this line seems to me neatly to encapsulate a bit of conventional unwisdom: “Bill Clinton’s most important political achievement was to transform the image of the Democratic Party into one that was in favor of growth, markets and trade.” Oh, so that’s what Sister Souljah was about.)