Jobsploitation: I just can't see myself voting for someone this desperate:

Kerry's ad, his first negative commercial of the general election, quotes the president's own advisers as saying "moving American jobs to low-cost countries" is good for the economy, and adds: "While jobs are leaving our country in record numbers, George Bush says sending jobs overseas 'makes sense' for America."

It's funny that Democrats who previously had either some shred of free-trade dignity or some scrap of intellectual honesty are so willing to take a pass on this (Bill Clinton and Robert Rubin come to mind, respectively).

Protectionism has never worked, except as a sop to union voters and nervous economic nellies. So far, Kerry hasn't proposed much more than a nebulous "plan to create 10 million new jobs." But if economic isolationism starts to sell with Democrats this year, Kerry may find himself having to propose something with teeth -- like some of the union talking points about "free but fair" trade agreements. (What the hell does that mean, "free but fair"? It's like saying Howard Dean is short, but in a tallish sort of way. As Jacob Sullum puts it in this article, "free trade is fair by definition.") And we already know that Bush is ready to lay down a tariff to shore up a state or two.

Neither one of these monkeys should be let within fifty feet of economic policy.