DeWine 1, China 0

Mike DeWine probably won't be getting an invite to the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Friday morning, the senior senator from Ohio stood out on Fifth Street in downtown Cincinnati with White House budget director and former U.S. trade representative Rob Portman for a press conference where Portman had some news from Washington.

His successor as trade rep, Susan Schwab, had just announced that the U.S. - with the backing of Canada and the European Union - was filing with the World Trade Organization what amounts to a lawsuit against China for discriminating against U.S. auto parts and discouraging Chinese automakers from using imported parts.

Portman, who said the action is a "big deal'' and could end up boosting Ohio' ailing auto parts industry, said DeWine first brought the problems to his attention in March, while he was still U.S. trade representative.

Meanwhile, DeWine's Democratic opponent, Sherrod Brown, continued pounding away at DeWine on trade issues with a new 30-second TV spot, this one saying that trade agrements supported by Republicans like Portman and DeWine have resulted in the loss of thouasnds of Ohio jobs.