by Patrick J. Buchanan – May 6, 1996

This fight, said Sen. Bob Dole after New Hampshire, “is for the heart and soul of the Republican Party.” Fair enough. But soon we shall see whether the GOP still has a soul.

President Clinton intends to renew “most favored nation” trading privileges (MFN) to China, granting Beijing the same access to U.S. markets that we grant to Great Britain.

But how, in the name of moral consistency can we accept such an equivalence? Did not George Bush embargo and invade Panama and Clinton blockade and invade Haiti for crimes against decency that are pallid beside those of Beijing? Does our lust for trade exceed our loathing of tyranny?