Hill Monitor: Horse Trading For A Trade Bill

President Bush last week scored a major victory on trade in the House, squeaking out a 215-214 vote to win "trade promotion authority." If the Senate follows suit, as expected, Bush will gain the go-ahead to negotiate foreign-trade deals that could be worth tens of billions of dollars in extra growth for the U.S. and the global economy. But for Capitol Hill watchers, the victory (twice denied to President Clinton) was at least as notable for the White House's impressive arm twisting: several crucial votes came from G.O.P. Representatives from states that have been especially hard hit by trade competition. One...

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