Meet America's trade czar: Bill Thomas, the House of Representatives' tax chief has a surprising new role.

• Author: Barnes, Fred

Rob Portman, a former member of the House of Representatives from Ohio, is the Bush Administration's chief trade negotiator. His influence is enhanced by his longstanding friendship with President Bush. Portman's predecessor as Special Trade Representative, Robert Zoellick, was promoted to deputy Secretary of State in Bush's second term, handpicked for the job by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. In his new position, Zoellick carries considerable weight on trade issues.

But there's a new player on trade in Washington these days at least as important as Portman or Zoellick. It's Chairman Bill Thomas (R-CA) of the House Ways and Means Committee. Those in his position in Congress normally concentrate on domestic tax issues, slashing or raising rates depending on who controls Congress. Thomas has a broader agenda, and trade--in his case, free trade--is a major part of it. He has become a self-made trade czar. And for now, he is the last hope for staving off the total collapse of the free trade consensus in Congress that has endured since World War II.

When delegations from countries eager to forge trade pacts with the United States come to Washington, Thomas is the man they clamor to see. Some are steered to him by the trade representative, others come on their own. In recent months, he's talked to groups from South Korea, Saudi Arabia, and the Gulf states, among others. On congressional trips overseas, he's made a point of visiting countries in the Middle East to discuss a possible free trade treaty with as many as eight of them. He wants to "assist the president in moving toward a Middle East free trade structure," Thomas said in an interview.

On trade agreements, Thomas plays a huge, yet still growing, role. "He writes the implementing language," said Republican Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, a member of Thomas's committee. "He writes the side agreements. He knows every little fact and facet of trade talks and trade policy. He knows more about trade than anybody in the federal government." And he is ready to use his power to block protectionist measures and spur free trade pacts.

Thomas, along with the president, was responsible for pushing the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) though the House in July by two votes. (It had previously cleared the Senate by nine votes.) That relatively insignificant treaty created a free trade zone involving Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Guatemala, El Salvador, Dominican Republic, and the...