Apparently the US is having second thoughts about ratifying the FTA after the Australian parliament amended patent law to protect the PBS.
The US ambassador, Tom Schieffer, said yesterday the US had some concerns with the amendments and there was no guarantee the US would certify the agreement.
Barring that this just another bit of meddling in Australian domestic politics by the US government, so what if they don't like changes that are beneficial to us?
The US ratified the agreement with a minimum of debate, indicating that it was biased in favour of the US. Now that they are hinting that they don't like the changes insisted by Labor, it can be taken that Labor was correct in forcing the issue.
There's no requirement that the agreement has to be passed this year. It can wait until after the election. John Howard's place in history is not a good reason to force it through.
The FTA will pass, irrespective of which party forms government. It's better that we take our time and get it right.
