Democrats protest Bush tactics on Colombia deal

By Doug Palmer

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Top Democrats criticized President George W. Bush on Tuesday for trying to force a vote on a free trade pact with Colombia that is strongly opposed by U.S. labor groups, a base of Democratic Party support.

"The president's unprecedented handling of the U.S.-Colombia trade agreement raises extraordinary questions about how we can move this agreement forward," said Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, a Montana Democrat.

Bush formally submitted legislation to implement the agreement to Congress and urged lawmakers to approve it.

"My administration looks forward to continuing to work with the Congress on a bipartisan path forward to secure approval of this legislation," Bush said in a statement on Tuesday.

Leading Democrats -- including presidential hopefuls Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton -- oppose the agreement because they say Colombia has not done enough to reduce killings of labor leaders and bring their murderers to justice.

House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi repeated on Monday that Democrats must see "sustained progress on the ground" in Colombia before they can support the pact.

The Bush administration says the pact will level the playing field for U.S. companies doing business with Colombia and support a strong ally in a volatile region of the world.

It also argues that President Alvaro Uribe has done much to make Colombia a safer place for labor groups.

Colombia currently has duty-free access to the U.S. market for most of its goods under a one-way trade program. The free trade pact requires Colombia to eliminate tariffs on U.S. exports and make other business-friendly reforms.

The White House believes it can round up enough Republican -- and Democratic -- support to pass the bill unless Pelosi orders party members to oppose it or uses parliamentary procedures to keep it from coming to the floor.

'SHATTERED' TRUST

Baucus, whose committee plays a key role in passing trade legislation, said in a speech on the Senate floor the Colombia free trade pact was "a good agreement."

But he said Bush shattered long-standing procedures by submitting the agreement to Congress before reaching a deal with lawmakers on legislation to implement the pact.

"By forcing Congress to consider this agreement now, the administration offends the trust of Congress," Baucus said.

The Colombia free trade agreement is covered by legislation known as trade promotion authority, which requires Congress to approve or reject any trade agreement within 90 legislative days of receiving it from the White House.