McCain and Australia

Republican presidential candidate John McCain had an article in the Australian today.

He supports the alliance and emission trading, so Mr Rudd should like him. However I especially liked this:

American leadership is also necessary on trade. For six decades, Democratic and Republican presidents have consistently stood for free trade, but in this presidential election the Democratic candidate has broken with that tradition. I believe that free trade agreements, such as those we have entered into with Australia and Singapore and have negotiated with South Korea, are critical building blocks for an open and inclusive economic order in the Asia-Pacific region. They create billions of dollars' worth of new exports and set a higher standard for trade liberalisation that ultimately helps all the nations in the region.

Good to see he is a free trader.

I await with interest Barak Obama's response.