#357 - He Violates International Agreements for Political Gain (Again)

The World Trade Organization issued a final ruling yesterday that the steel tariffs imposed by President Bush violate international trade rules, raising expectations that the White House will soon repeal the tariffs to avoid imminent European retaliation.

The WTO decision gives the European Union and several other countries the right to impose retaliatory tariffs on billions of dollars worth of American exports unless Bush reverses the decision he made in March 2002 to give American steelmakers protection from imports. Such sanctions could be the largest ever applied in a WTO case.

[...]

When Bush first imposed the tariffs, which ranged up to 30 percent, in March 2002, he said he was giving U.S. steelmakers three years to restructure, under a law that allows "safeguard" tariffs for industries facing a surge of imports. But the EU and its allies filed complaints asserting that the United States failed to provide evidence of a recent surge in steel imports, and the WTO agreed. (via the Washington Post)

Twenty months ago the U.S. steel industry pressured Bush to impose tariffs on its product, and the President caved for purely political reasons. He knew the Europeans would complain. He knew the WTO would ultimately rule that his actions were a violation of international trade rules. But he also knew that he could get away with it long enough to keep U.S. Steel voting Republican (actually, Karl Rove is the one who knew all this), and so that is what he did.

Now that the WTO has finally ruled against him, Bush will likely agree to abide by its decision - not because it is right but because of the threat of retaliatory tariffs on other U.S. goods. No doubt there will be carefully massaged talking points on this about face, but we can guarantee you that nowhere will the White House mention the central irony of the steel story: the U.S. lectures other nations on its trade policies, extolling the redemptive qualities of free trade, all the while ignoring international trade rules when it suits the White House politically.

It's the hypocrisy of it all that drives us crazy. Leadership is about doing what's right rather than doing what's popular. It's about abiding by America's international commitments because we are a member of the international community and because we respect international law. It's about thinking in the longer term rather than only to the next election.

It's what's sorely lacking in the Bush White House.