CAFTA "on a midnight train to nowhere"

The Caltrade Report has an article today saying there won't be vote on CAFTA before the November elections, which is news to no one. It does, however, provide a succint overview of forces for and against:

In a statement following the May 27 signing of the trade pact, Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY) - ranking Democrat on the House Ways and Means Committee, the ranking Democrat on the House Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee, Rep. Sander Levin (D-MI); and Trade Subcommittee member Rep. Xavier Becerra (D-CA) questioned the Administration's commitment to trade with Central America.

"With the CAFTA agreement to be signed tomorrow, the Bush Administration shows it is not serious about increasing trade with Central America. If it were serious, it would have reached out to Congress - to Democrats and Republicans - and put together a bipartisan agreement. Instead, the Bush Administration lost a major opportunity," the legislators' joint statement said.

The congressional Democrats urged the US trade representative to modify CAFTA provisions relating to labor standards and to access to low-cost generic medicines. They warned that the agreement, as currently constructed, is unlikely to be approved.

"Thanks to the Bush Administration, the CAFTA is on a midnight train to nowhere - in an election year or any year," the legislators said.

Okay, so these guys are not exactly the most important members of Congress, but their rhetoric makes for nice blog copy....