WASHINGTON INSIGHT

DEAD OR ALIVE? “Dead,” said Budget Director Leon E. Panetta, gloomily forecasting the fate of the North American Free Trade Agreement in Congress. But hold on. The very day the quote made headlines, Rep. Robert T. Matsui (D-Sacramento) fired off some useful reading for his friend and former House colleague. In a statement, Matsui, who heads a congressional panel working with the Administration to pass the trade pact with Mexico and Canada, declared: “This fight is just beginning. In the days ahead, we will cut through the false rhetoric of fear” and give NAFTA life.