According to Barack Obama, in tonight's Presidential debate, it was:
... on trade, John [Edwards] is exactly right that you travel around South Carolina and you see the textile mills that John's father worked in closed, all over the region. And it is absolutely true that NAFTA was a mistake.
I know that Hillary on occasion has said -- just last year said this was a boon to the economy. I think it has been devastating, because our trade agreements did not have labor standards and environmental standards that would assure that workers in the U.S. were getting a square deal.
But, he says, the U.S.-Peru FTA, which he voted for, is good, in part because of the new environment/labor standards:
But the only thing I want to differ on John is this whole notion of Peru. The Peru trade deal had labor and environmental agreements in it. Peru is an economy the size of New Hampshire. Over 90 percent of the goods coming from Peru already come in under various free trade agreements.
Interestingly, he also mentions the size of Peru and the fact that many of its goods already came in duty-free. It's not clear to me whether these are general factors he would consider in determining whether to support a particular trade agreement, or if it was just an off-hand remark. These debates are difficult, and some of what is said may not have been thought out precisely.
