Some Support

President Bush's chief economist, Gregory Mankiw, got a lesson in Washington culture the other day. Testifying in Congress he said, as any good free trader would, that the outsourcing of labor by U.S. firms in order to take advantage of economies will bring benefits to the American people. The Democrats blasted him, of course, and the administration came to his defense—well, sort of. A White House spokesman said President Bush suports"free and fair trade. He is committed to a level playing field." Translation: He doesn't really agree with Mankiw at all.