Obama, Romney campaigns spar over trade policy

{mosads}The section in Romney’s 2010 book No Apology: The Case for American Greatness that Axelrod likely referred to criticized Obama for imposing a 2009 tariff on tires imported from China.

A Romney aide said Thursday that the former Massachussetts governor can support holding all countries accountable to “playing by the rules” in free trade agreements without supporting a “political give-away” such as the tariff on the Chinese tire industry.

Romney plans to give a major speech focused on trade policy Thursday afternoon in Washington state. Romney’s campaign released a web video Thursday ahead of the speech blasting Obama for not being tough on China.

The Democratic National Committee quickly pushed back in an email, arguing that Obama has a record of standing with American workers on issues such as the tire tariff.

Obama’s 2008 book is actually called The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream. Conservatives have repeatedly criticized Obama’s frequent golfing outings as a distraction from other issues such as the economy.