...Just as the French and Dutch were suspicious of the dangers lurking in the 485-page EU constitution, Americans are wary of the dangers hiding in the 92-page CAFTA legislation plus the 31 pages that purport to spell out the administrative actions the U.S. must take in compliance. No wonder CAFTA's supporters are bypassing our Constitution's requirement that treaties can be valid only if passed by two-thirds of our Senators.

The Senate Republican policy paper argues that CAFTA "will promote democratic governance." But there is nothing democratic about CAFTA's many pages of grants of vague authority to foreign tribunals on which foreign judges could force us to change our domestic laws to be "no more burdensome than necessary" on foreign trade.

We have had enough impertinent interference with our lives and economy from the international tribunals Congress has already locked us into, such as the WTO (World Trade Organization) and NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement). Americans don't want decisions from another anti-American tribunal any more than the French and Dutch wanted their lives micro-managed by Belgian bureaucrats...

The Finance Committee, which approved the agreement by a voice vote, sent the bill to the full Senate for approval either this week or after the Independence Day recess. Passage in the Senate, traditionally more sympathetic to trade agreements, could give the measure some momentum in the House, where there is stiffer opposition.

The Labor Department worked for more than a year to maintain secrecy for studies that were critical of working conditions in Central America, the region the Bush administration wants in a new trade pact.