There is so much that is catching up with us just now. Bush may be a 1st class dink, but he is not 100% at fault for this. This was done a decade ago and it is just now catching up to us.
IMO,
Free trade has more to do with the weak dollar than anything. We can buy all this cheap ass stuff that is made by child labor in 3rd world countries, but now it is our Achilles heal as the US unemployment rises, small business file for bankruptcy, and the dollar plummets into a worthless pile of chit. BUT HEY, look at all this crap we can buy.