Bush Wants Colombian Free Trade Agreement

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19 April 2008

President Bush says opposition Democrats in Congress are making a serious error by refusing to vote on a free trade agreement with Colombia. VOA White House correspondent Scott Stearns has the story.

In the Democratic Party's radio address, Party Chairman Howard Dean criticized Republican Senator John McCain, the Republicans' presumptive nominee for president.

"This November, voters do have a choice," he said.  "If you want more of this Bush economy, if you want to see our troops in Iraq for a long period of time, we can stay the course with Senator McCain. But the Democrats have a different vision for America's future."

New York Senator Hillary Clinton and Illinois Senator Barack Obama are battling for the Democratic Party's nomination, with an important primary on Tuesday in the state of Pennsylvania.

Dean says both candidates have a plan for getting out of Iraq so the nation can invest more in the economy and in creating jobs. McCain says his Democratic rivals would endanger U.S. national security by pulling out of Iraq regardless of conditions on the ground.