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(s)Elections See other (s)Elections Articles Title: Barack Obama takes heat over NAFTA memo, Rezko AUSTIN, Texas - On the eve of critical primary contests that could effectively end the protracted quest for the Democratic nomination, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton focused the presidential race Monday on credibility and whether the Illinois senator's vow to rework a controversial international trade pact was a politically motivated promise. Obama also said he has nothing new to tell reporters about his friend and former fundraiser, political insider and real estate developer Antoin "Tony" Rezko, whose trial on federal corruption charges began in Chicago on Monday. With voting Tuesday in the big delegate prize states of Ohio and Texas, as well as in Rhode Island and Vermont, Obama looked to extend a nearly monthlong victory streak. Clinton, who earlier considered Ohio and Texas as must-win states, said she was already looking at the next major contest in Pennsylvania on April 22 and beyond. "So, I'm just getting warmed up," the New York Democrat said. But much of the heat didn't come from a shift from chilly Ohio to last-minute campaigning in humid Texas. Instead, it involved a top Obama adviser's recent visit with Canadian officials that included a discussion of the North American Free Trade Agreement, a trade pact that President Bill Clinton considered a signature accomplishment, but one that now has been the subject of calls for renegotiation by both candidates. Obama and his campaign had initially denied a Canadian television report from late last month that Obama's top economic adviser, Austan Goolsbee, had met with Canadian government officials in Chicago and told them Obama's call for reopening labor and environmental rules in NAFTA was merely campaign rhetoric. But on Monday, The Associated Press obtained a Canadian government memo that detailed a meeting Goolsbee held on a variety of issues, including NAFTA. What the memo said "Noting anxiety among many U.S. domestic audiences about the U.S. economic outlook, Goolsbee candidly acknowledged the protectionist sentiment that has emerged, particularly in the Midwest, during the primary campaign," a consulate staffer wrote, according to AP. "He cautioned that this messaging should not be taken out of context and should be viewed as more about political positioning than a clear articulation of policy plans." Obama's campaign said that Goolsbee described his remarks as being mischaracterized in the Canadian memo. And Stephen Harper, the conservative Canadian prime minister, denied opposition party questioning that accused him of trying to sabotage Obama's campaign. Harper told the House of Commons that the government, through its embassy in Washington, indicated "its regret at the fact that information has come out that would imply Sen. Obama has been saying different things in public than in private" on NAFTA. Since the flap began last week, Goolsbee has not responded to calls from the Tribune for comment, and the campaign did not make him available Monday. Clinton had been under fire from Obama in economically troubled Ohio for previously defending NAFTA and then calling for environmental and labor reforms as part of her presidential campaign. Speaking to reporters to begin the day in Toledo, Ohio, she accused Obama of pursuing "the old wink-wink -- don't pay any attention, this is all political rhetoric" strategy of saying one thing for political benefit while privately saying another. "Apparently, what seems to have occurred is that the Obama campaign had Sen. Obama in Ohio making speeches against NAFTA and having his chief economic adviser making it clear in Canada that he doesn't really mean it," she told an Ohio-market TV station. "I think that raises real questions of credibility." Seizing a potential opening in trying to hold on to Ohio support that had been slipping in the polls, Clinton also began airing radio ads hitting Obama on the issue. In San Antonio, Obama acknowledged that when he said his campaign had not had contact with Canadian officials on NAFTA it was based on "information I had at the time." He said the campaign did not "reach out" to the Canadians. But Obama noted a portion of the consulate's memo on the meeting with Goolsbee backed up his campaign position. It said Obama was "less about fundamentally changing the agreement" and more in favor of strengthening and clarifying "labor mobility and environment" as "more 'core' principles of the agreement." "So, this notion that Sen. Clinton is peddling that somehow there's contradictions or winks and nods has been disputed by all the parties involved," Obama said. "What's not disputed is that Sen. Clinton and her husband championed NAFTA, worked on behalf of NAFTA, called it a victory, called it good for America, until she started running for president. That's indisputable. That's a fact." Rezko friendship scrutinized At a news conference, Obama was peppered with questions about his relationship with Rezko, who is accused of pressuring firms seeking state business or investments to pay kickbacks or campaign contributions. He said Clinton's campaign has pushed the story even though there have been "several hundred" news stories about him and Rezko. "The fact pattern remains unchanged," said Obama, whose campaign has donated to charity more than $150,000 in Rezko-related contributions. "Tony Rezko was a friend and supporter of mine for many years. ... He supported not just me but many Democrats and Republicans." Obama, however, wouldn't disclose how many fundraising events Rezko hosted for him or who attended, saying such requests "can just go on forever." As his news conference came to an end, reporters continued to shout questions about Rezko but Obama walked out, saying the campaign was "running late."
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#1. To: angle (#0)
Promise them anything, but give them free trade.
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