Washington: Defending free trade, US President George W Bush has said that economic isolationism as a solution to job uncertainty is "dangerous" for the economy.

Without mentioning his Democratic opponent in the Presidential elections John Kerry, who has called companies which outsource jobs abroad to "Benedict Arnolds" (traitors to America), Bush speaking yesterday (Mar 25, 2004) in New Hampshire said, "There is a temptation in Washington to say the solution to jobs uncertainty is to isolate America from the world. It's called economic isolationism, ...we're too pessimistic... we don't want to compete as opposed to opening up markets..."

He said, "One in five jobs in New Hampshire depends upon exports. In other words, it depends upon the ability to get our goods into somebody else's market."

Bush said that Presidents before him, both Republican and Democrat, had made the decision to make America's markets relatively open, compared to other countries, because it's good for US consumers.

"When consumers have got more choices and there's more competition, it helps satisfy your demand at reasonable price."

Bush said that American workers must be trained for the jobs of the future, at entry level in schools, in community colleges and in colleges. That, he said, is what his Administration is stressing and for which it is providing funds.