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I don’t know if the local paper intended the irony or not, but these two headlines shared a page:

&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp Bush says Kerry’s plans would hurt economy

and

&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp Medicine imports get second look from GOP

The first article is about Bush lambasting Kerry for saying he would review free trade agreements. Bush asserts that free-trade policies create jobs by expanding exports. Okay. But then in the second article, Bush is concerned that opening our borders to lower prices pharmaceuticals coming in to the U.S., in large part because the pharmaceutical industry is opposed – duh. So why isn’t that free trade?

Apparently free trade is a good thing where American industry thinks it’s to their advantage, and a bad thing where industry thinks it’s not? Granted, trade is not nearly so simplistic, but it does sound a great deal like Bush is again pandering to his corporate supporters.