And hopefully, he already might have lost.

There was every indication of a knock down drag out fight inside the Democratic party over the Panama free trade agreement, dealing with the fact that it did nothing about Panamanian money laundering or labor and environmental protections.

Well, after over 50 Dem Representatives sent a letter on this matter, Obama agreed to hold back on submitting the Panama free trade deal until there is a “framework” for protecting labor and the environment.

One of the unspoken consensuses in Washington, DC is that a bad free trade deal is better than no free trade deal, because free trade, raises living standards, spreads democracy, prevents rain on picnics, and keeps your daughter from dating the guy with the studs and tattoos.

I don’t believe that this pause is real. It is merely a ploy to get the votes he needs to pass the deal(s), which also include Columbia and Korea.

When you look at the people around him, like Austan Goolsbee, it’s pretty clear that these folks are free trade (except when it comes to IP) fanatics, and they keep coming back until they either win, or are slapped down firmly.