I’ve known and worked with the last 5 U.S. Trade Ambassadors, starting with Clayton Yeutter in 1985. Progressing through Carla Hills, Mickey Kantor, Charlene Barshefsky and Bob Zoellick, they’ve all done an outstanding job in promoting U.S. interests while moving toward freer and more open trade. President Bush’s decision to nominate Ohio congressman Rob Portman as the next U.S. trade representative is, indeed, a pleasant surprise.
It’s a surprise because few of the odds makers who play the D.C. parlor game of guessing who will get which job in Washington had figured on Portman. It’s pleasant because every indication suggests that Portman will be an outstanding advocate for free trade.
“Open markets and strong trade relations are key components to a more peaceful, stable, and prosperous world,” said Portman last week. “Here at home, trade policy opens markets to create good jobs, a higher standard of living, and greater economic growth.”
Portman has a long history of taking positive steps to promote free trade. Last fall, during the presidential campaign, he accepted the challenge of explaining the advantages of free trade to skeptical Ohio voters--no small chore.
Even more impressive, however, is his voting record. The libertarian Cato Institute has just released a report card on trade and the 108th Congress, based on how members voted on 23 issues. Among a group of colleagues who are often no better than fair-weather friends of free trade, Portman stands out as a consistent ally.
The Cato assessment is helpful because past is prologue: You can judge a man’s future performance by the track record he has already compiled. By this measure, Portman shows real promise.
And the 49-year-old Portman must have great expectations for the trade post, because he’s giving up a safe seat in Congress as well as a spot on the powerful Ways and Means Committee. Washington insiders have said for years that Portman is a man with the potential to rise high in the ranks of congressional leadership.
Would he have become Speaker of the House? Now we’ll never know. But the fact that he’d abandon a career path full of bright possibilities indicates that he wants to accomplish quite a bit. I’m certain that President Bush shares these ambitions because he took plenty of time to find a replacement for Robert Zoellick.
The Economist recently praised Portman as “a respected Republican congressman” who “will be a good salesman for Mr. Bush’s trade agenda in Congress.” Democratic member Benjamin Cardin of Maryland affirmed this observation, “You couldn’t have a person with a better relationship with Congress and the president,” he said of Portman.
Relations with Congress are no small matter, of course, because the two top items on the administration’s short-term trade agenda are before lawmakers right now: the Central American Free Trade Agreement and renewal of Trade Promotion Authority.
Eventually, Portman will have to prove himself not just on Capitol Hill, but also on the international stage. There is indeed much on the agenda. The World Trade Organization’s Doha round needs to be worked hard.
What’s more, the Bush administration plans to press ahead with bilateral trade agreements. Last week, an official told the Wall Street Journal that trade talks soon will begin with five more Southeast Asian countries: Brunei, Cambodia, Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines. Negotiations all already underway with neighboring Thailand, and the president signed a trade agreement with Singapore nearly two years ago.
And let’s not forget two of the administration’s other long-term goals: the Free Trade Area of the Americas, and a free-trade zone for the Middle East.
I’m confident that Rob Portman will do a good job of pursuing these objectives, to the benefit of the United States in general and farmers in particular. The first order of business is to let him do it. Let’s hope that the Senate moves swiftly to confirm an excellent candidate for a crucial job.
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I’ve known and worked with the last 5 U.S. Trade Ambassadors, starting with Clayton Yeutter in 1985. Progressing through Carla Hills, Mickey Kantor, Charlene Barshefsky and Bob Zoellick, they’ve all done an outstanding job in promoting U.S. interests while moving toward freer and more open trade. President Bush’s decision to nominate Ohio congressman Rob Portman as the next U.S. trade representative is, indeed, a pleasant surprise. 
