He nevertheless worked ferociously to push the agreement through Congress the next year, even against the majority of his own party. The protesters understood this very clearly, and that is another reason why they were so effective. The Seattle meeting and protest mark the end of era, in which trade agreements were the province of a handful of corporate lobbyists, trade lawyers, and sympathetic economists. Now the citizenry has become involved. To borrow a phrase from the WTO's proponents, there will be no turning back the clock.
Democracy is a great thing.