John McCain on why the United States must "reward" its ally Colombia for it's appalling human rights record, with a free trade pact:
An overwhelming majority of historians will tell you that protectionism and isolationism were a major factor in one of the greatest depressions in the modern history for this country. I am not going to sit by and see that happen
I mean, firstly, he's got the discipline wrong, I would imagine that anyone claiming a link between economic protectionism and economic recession would be some sort of economist, or at least an economic historian. As to the 'overwhelming majority', do you suppose he conducted a poll? As far as aware the academy, certainly in the humanities, has a bias to the left, and I doubt many would echo the above.
Finally, I wonder if McCain is aware that protectionism has been a major factor in the industrial development of the entire rich world?
