Hatch: Approve All Three Trade Deals.

Note: I am a supporter of Senator Hatch's campaign for reelection next year.

Senator Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) does not oppose President Obama's free trade agreement with South Korea, but he will hold it up unless the two other trade agreements President George W. Bush negotiated are voted upon as well.

Hatch's argument is that if the South Korean deal is ratified, nothing will be done to pass either the Colombian or Panamanian agreements. All three are vital to increasing American exports, while decreasing the cost of imported goods with a few of our most important non-European allies.

And Hatch is absolutely correct.

President Obama will never push trade agreements with either Columbia, or Panama while the unions are his largest financial supporters. They absolutely despise the deals, and would openly revolt against the administration if either were ever ratified. However, if Obama's hand is forced, both Republicans and Obama would have political cover on ratification.

All three trade agreements must be passed, and the credit must go to President George W. Bush for pushing all three of them in the first place.

What say you?