Thomas P.M. Barnett :: Weblog

As noted in the previous piece, CAFTA squeezes by in the House. God bless the Republicans on that one.

Here's the opening of a good Washington Post piece on it (found here)

Trade Pact Approved By House
GOP Struggles to Eke Out 217-215 Victory on CAFTA

By Paul Blustein and Mike Allen
Washington Post Staff Writers
Thursday, July 28, 2005; Page A01

The House narrowly approved the Central American Free Trade Agreement this morning, delivering a hard-fought victory to President Bush while underscoring the nation's deep divisions over trade.

The 217 to 215 vote came just after midnight, in a dramatic finish that highlighted the intensity brought by both sides to the battle. When the usual 15-minute voting period expired at 11:17 p.m., the no votes outnumbered the yes votes by 180 to 175, with dozens of members undeclared. House Republican leaders kept the voting open for another 47 minutes, furiously rounding up holdouts in their own party until they had secured just enough to ensure approval . . .