Meanwhile in the trade wars

Aha. It worked. At least for now. You can relax if you didn't get your Christmas shopping done. We've rescinded our illegal steel tariffs - no EU sanctions will be levied.

The Bush administration has decided to repeal its 20-month-old tariffs on imported steel to head off a trade war that would have included foreign retaliation against products from politically crucial US states.

Quoting administration and industry sources, The Washington Post said in its Monday editions that President George Bush is likely to announce the decision this week.

The officials said they had to allow for the possibility that Bush would make some change in the plan, but a source close to the White House said it was "all but set in stone", the Post reported.article

Well, if Double-dumb doesn't come up with some hairbrained, stupid gaffe, which we know he can do.

A spokesman for the White House denied a decision had been made to repeal the tariffs.

"The matter is still under review and we'll make announcements when there are announcements to make," the spokesman said.

You are on a need-to-know basis, and we'll tell you when we're good and ready.

What a bunch of dipshits.

Ending the tariffs 16 months before schedule could spark a political backlash against Bush in next year's presidential election in the pivotal steel-producing states of Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

The Washington Post sources said Bush's aides concluded they could not run the risk that the European Union would carry out its threat to impose sanctions on citrus fruit from Florida, farm machinery, textiles and other products.

And you have to figure that Florida pulls a great deal of weight, so to speak, in the election results, so Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia may just be shit out of luck.

....but hey, do what you want....you will anyway.