Barack Obama is not quite sure where he stands on the North American Free Trade deal. He has changed his position on several occasions, all the while claiming to be consistent. Mr. Obama needs to establish a trade policy that does not shift according to the preferences of the audience he is courting.

During the Democratic primaries and caucuses, when Mr. Obama and Hillary Clinton were competing in the Rust Belt states, Mr. Obama began attacking NAFTA. He stated that he would re-negotiate the treaty and even abrogate it if his demands were not met. He declared in Cleveland: "I think we should use the hammer of a potential opt-out as leverage to ensure that we actually get labor and environmental standards that are enforced." Mr. Obama's statements were well-received in the Midwest where many workers blame NAFTA for the loss of jobs in the auto, manufacturing and textile industries. Yet, a media firestorm subsequently erupted when a Feb. 8 memo was leaked to the Associated Press. The memo described a meeting between Mr. Obama's economic adviser, Austan Goolsbee, and Ottawa's consul-general in Chicago, George Rioux. According to the memo, Mr. Goolsbee reassured the Canadian representative that Mr. Obama's statements regarding NAFTA were more "reflective of political maneuvering than policy."

Wash Times Editorial