Randall Soderquist notes that the stimulus package contains major trade adjustment assistance programs, such as “TAA for communities, coverage for workers in the service sector, eligibility for secondary workers in the supply chain, and availability of health care coverage.”

Now that we have significant — and of more importance — well-funded programs designed to assist American workers, it is time that President Obama move aggressively to create a trade agenda that will not only protect the economic welfare of the United States, but also establishes the conditions leading to economic growth, poverty alleviation, and political stability in the international system. Leadership on trade, especially in a world at risk because of the financial crisis, requires looking forward at obvious opportunity, not just back at glaring mistakes.