WH Gets Colombian Trade Deal

USA Today reports:

The Obama administration has reached an agreement with Colombia regarding violence against labor leaders, enabling a free trade agreement first negotiated by the Bush administration to win approval.

What it means: President Obama will solidify his reputation as a free trader, despite having campaigned against the deal in 2008. Republicans and business groups are cheering, while some Democrats and labor unions are grumbling.

What it also means: The president will be seen as a pragmatic leader willing to strike compromises, rather than a dogmatic ideologue standing in the way of economic progress.

"The impact on American jobs should be creative and positive," U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk said Wednesday.