The Free Trade Express

Jim Geraghty notices that John McCain has decided to engage in what could be called the Free Trade Express, or perhaps the America Will Keep Its Word Express. With Barack Obama criticizing NAFTA and demanding a renegotiation with Canada, and rejecting the Colombian free-trade agreement out of hand, McCain will attempt to reassure those American partners that he will strengthen ties rather than unravel them. McCain travels to both nations this summer to directly engage their citizens on America’s behalf:

Republican presidential nominee John McCain has sought and received an invitation to Ottawa to give a speech next week on free trade.

The Vietnam war hero’s presence in Canada’s national capital and his choice of subject matter is bound to revive controversy over the so-called NAFTA-gate affair, which embarrassed his Democratic rival, Barack Obama, earlier this year. …

Republican candidate John McCain will visit Colombia in July, according to a report in the country’s largest daily newspaper, El Tiempo, that was confirmed by Fox News.

The report says the Arizona senator’s one-day trip will include stops in Bogota, Medellin and Cartagena; he has plans to meet with President Alvaro Uribe to talk about trade and other issues of importance to Latin America. Colombia’s trade minister, Luis Guillermo Plata, was in Washington this week pushing for the stalled trade deal with the U.S., but Democratic lawmakers have made it clear they want to see a drop in violence in the country before approving the agreement.

This is a smart move. It makes McCain look presidential, gets him out of the country, and supporting free-trade initiatives in a high-profile manner. Especially in Colombia, this could help advance the interests of both nations. The agreement with the Uribe government may not be dead yet, and McCain could raise the profile of the treaty and put pressure on Congress to open the market to American businesses, especially with the economy struggling at the moment.

Canada gives the McCain campaign an opportunity to re-open the NAFTA Dance. He doesn’t even have to explicitly mention it; the press will provide the context of the Obama campaign’s attempt to play both ends of the protectionist street. McCain can present himself as a stalwart on free trade and gain considerable air time as the first presidential nominee to give a speech in Canada during an election campaign.