Partisanship

In 1993 when the North American Free Trade Agreement came up for a vote it passed with bipartisan support. In the Senate 34 Republicans voted for it while 10 voted against. 27 Democrats voted their approval while 28 voted against. In the House meanwhile 132 Republicans voted for and 43 against while 102 Democrats voted for and 156 against. Yes, that's right, in both the House and Senate more Republicans voted to hand a legislative victory to President Bill Clinton than Democrats.

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Where does that spirit of bipartisanship stand 12 years later? In last week's CAFTA vote Republicans voted for it 45-10 while Democrats voted against it 35-10. And while the House hasn't voted yet the Washington Post notes that a grant total of five Democrats say they plan to vote for it. Their motives:

Cardin and other free-trade Democrats concede that many of the Democratic opponents are motivated by partisan politics: They want to see Bush lose a major legislative initiative or, at the very least, make Republicans from districts hit hard by international trade take a dangerous vote in favor of a deal their constituents oppose.

Remember that next time you hear Democrats talk about how it is President George W. Bush's job to unite the country.