President Barack Obama has called on Congress to grant him fast-track trade authority for his Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade agreement.
The U.S. administration insists that the authority, which would give Congress only an up-or-down vote on the agreement, is needed to get the best possible terms from its trade partners along the Pacific Rim.
During his 2008 presidential campaign, Obama promised to renegotiate and improve the North American Free Trade Agreement. But it now looks like what he really meant is to expand on that flawed trade model and extend it to other countries.