Selling-out our principles: Reason to break with the administration?

Relatively few Americans, whether Republicans or Democrats, give a hoot that Vietnam is a leader in human rights abuse.

Let’s spell that out a bit more clearly: torturing, maiming, starving Hills peoples, severe repression and jailing of any dissidents, blatantly enriching admittedly corrupt leaders and local buddies by one of the world’s most extensive bribery and confiscation fascist-like plunders of the “people.” Only the “new class” in Vietnam, and the “profit at any price” class in the U.S. benefit, truth, justice, freedom be damned.

Instead, Reuters reports, “US agrees deal for Vietnam to join WTO.”

Outgoing U.S. Trade Representative Rob Portman, who has been nominated to be the next White House budget director, said it was a "good agreement" for U.S. business.
"It opens a new and growing market for American agricultural goods, services, such as financial services, and manufactured products," said Portman, whose designated successor Susan Schwab was scheduled to visit Vietnam on June 1 and 2 for a conference of Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) trade ministers.
"Vietnam recognises that broad-based reform and economic liberalisation are essential to its integration into the global economy," Portman said. "We intend to work hard with Vietnam to complete the process of its full accession to the WTO."

US House Speaker Dennis Hastert was more crudely honest:

Some members of the U.S. Congress were expected to put religious and human rights constraints on any trade bill. But on a visit to Hanoi last month, U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Dennis Hastert, an Illinois Republican, urged Congress to pass a deal, saying the "greater good" outweighed human rights concerns.

In my opinion, selling our heritage and birthright, and the Vietnamese', for a bowl of porridge.

This issue is typical of the many issues that have dispirited Republican conservatives, each by itself highly relevant to some, and cumulatively to many.

No, it’s not enough for me to split from the GOP, but it’s another of the reasons many’s enthusiasm is down. The only thing holding the GOP together is the even more dangerous donkey asses. There’s many defensible and many excellent things done by the President and Republicans in Congress, but relatively little to celebrate. Being kicked by the donkey would be even less to celebrate.

What a sober, and sometimes very saddening, thing is maturity!