Low expectations

Bush's travel agenda to South America this week took him to Argentina where the US failed to secure the passage of the FTAA, scuppered by the Barzil, Argentina, and Venezuela.

Then, Bush went to Brazil in an effort to convince the Brazilians to drop their objections to the Doha round of trade talks.(The Brazilians object to US and EU agriculture subsidies.) The Brazilian trip failed as well.

So, then the administration planners figured they'd go for an easy single and try to establish a bilateral trade deal with Panama so they could claim the trip wasn't a total failure. But even that couldn't be wrapped up when the Whitehouse so needs a win.

During the press conference with Torrijos after the meeting,

President Bush on Monday vigorously defended U.S. interrogation of suspected terrorists after the public disclosure of secret CIA prisoner camps in eastern European countries. "We do not torture," he declared. .... and

On another issue, Bush ducked a question about the CIA leak investigation, declining to say whether he has lived up to his campaign pledge in 2000 to abide by the spirit of federal ethics laws.