Sometimes it's really baffling that Thomas Friedman is considered one of our nation's most important thinkers on political and economic matters. Here he is today (2/11/09) channeling what "non-Americans" have to say:

Dear America, please remember how you got to be the wealthiest country in history. It wasn't through protectionism, or state-owned banks or fearing free trade. No, the formula was very simple: build this really flexible, really open economy, tolerate creative destruction so dead capital is quickly redeployed to better ideas and companies, pour into it the most diverse, smart and energetic immigrants from every corner of the world and then stir and repeat, stir and repeat, stir and repeat, stir and repeat.

If you don't understand that the United States developed its economy behind high tariff walls, then you probably believe the Earth is flat.

Today's Washington Post (11/14/08) explains that Obama's economic advisers "span the policy spectrum:"

They include free traders and "fair traders," deficit hawks, Wall Street executives, corporate moguls and labor advocates.

Why the different typographical treatment of free trade and fair trade? The implication is that "free trade" really is free, whereas "fair trade" is just what its supporters call it. This treatment of so-called "free trade," as economist Dean Baker has long explained, "reflects deeply held biases in the media. The most important point, which I unfortunately have to keep repeating, is that these are not free trade agreements. They do not free all trade and, in fact, increase some forms of protectionist barriers." But in the corporate media, "free trade" does not generally require any sort of qualifier or explanation.