Edwards Make Strong Statements Against Free Trade and Gitmo

John Edwards made two strong statements while campaigning over the weekend that helped separate him from other Democrats.

Edwards called for the repeal of NAFTA at a campaign stop in Indianola, where he said...

"We need to change the labor laws in this country. It's become clear the labor laws have become stranded in the favor of employers, and all we want is fairness for employees, not an advantage for workers over their employers," Edwards said to roughly 200 people filling the back deck at the home of Ray and Joanne Walton.

Edwards, who asserted himself as a strong union supporter, said repealing the North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA, and strengthening negotiation rights for employees on strike will benefit American workers.

It is a about time a Democrat takes a strong stands against so-called free trade that outsources jobs overseas. Republicans Duncan Hunter and Tom Tancredo have recently come out strongly against free trade agreements. Meanwhile Democrats have seemed to tip-toe around the issue saying we need to stronger labor and environmental standards, but they have stopped at saying they would repeal the free trade agreements. Edwards is the first to do so.

Edwards also called for the closure of Gitanomo prison at a speech in Michigan. Edwards said...

When the crisis comes, the world has to rally around us. But for that to happen, the world must see as a good place, with trustful leadership. When I'm the president, one of the first things I'll do is to close Gitmo.

Edwards is the first Democratic candidate to take strong stands against these issues. This fits right in with his campaign theme. Edwards is taking principled stands and laying out what he will do as president, while other Democrats are persuing trianglation and keeping an eye on the latest polls.