Archimedes On The Potomac

Trade guru Bob Zoellick thinks he can lever even protectionists into a deal

Bob Zoellick's office exudes the kind of narcotic Washington class that enforces padded footsteps and whispered conversations. Hard across the street from the White House, the office of the U.S. Trade Representative has the obligatory American flags behind the desk and predictable 19th century prints along the walls. But on a corner table, a surprise: protest posters from ACT UP that say STOP KILLING AIDS VICTIMS BOB ZOELLICK. Zoellick had his secretary pick them up from demonstrators outside his office a few weeks ago. "These must be from before," I said to him when we met last Thursday, meaning that the...

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