THE vote on the Central American Free Trade Agreement was heartening, but on the long canvas of free-trade activity it is discouraging. What stands out is not the success of the CAFTA bill, but the weakness of its support.
To get the critical two votes on CAFTA, Mr. Bush practically had to promise individual congressmen that he would pave their driveways the next time a highway spending bill comes up. He was working against heavy odds in a bitterly partisan scene. Republicans voted in favor of CAFTAby 202 to 27. Democrats voted against by 187 to 15. It was just before midnight on Wednesday that one congressman from North Carolina came around. A book will probably be written about the welter of pressures on him.
Comments