Glimpses of it can be had even in these languid times. It was a matter of simple fairness. We got another glimpse this summer, when a sudden groundswell of support forced a skinflint Congress to extend health care to millions of children. The pressure keeps rising. That may be a mistake.
Trade is good for America.
But the public's negative reaction shouldn't be seen as a repudiation of free trade. Trade may, in fact, be the precipitating issue this time around. The tumult also will crimp profits of American companies that export to the region, causing more layoffs here. If the Asian flu turns more deadly, the infection here will be all the worse. However resolved, the Asian crisis portends larger jolts, as the global economy absorbs the surging output of 1.2 billion Chinese - more than a fifth of the world's population.