TARGET ACQUISITION:

Bush Working to Stitch Together Political Support for Trade Deal: The White House, still short votes for CAFTA, makes side agreements with some lawmakers. (Warren Vieth and Richard Simon, July 26, 2005, LA Times)

With a congressional showdown looming on a high-profile trade pact with Central American nations, Bush administration officials scrambled Monday to negotiate side deals that might get them the two dozen or so additional votes needed to ensure passage.

By day's end, they appeared to have nailed down at least five.

"I told them this is what they needed to do to get my vote," said Rep. Phil Gingrey (R-Ga.), who joined with four House colleagues to seek concessions for home-state textile plants. "The bottom line is they have done everything I asked for."

Gingrey said the five Southern lawmakers were "95%" certain to support the Central American Free Trade Agreement and were waiting for final signatures on agreements to protect U.S. makers of denim cloth and trouser pockets.

Vote counters on both sides of the issue said it remained unclear whether President Bush would prevail when CAFTA came up for a vote in the House, expected Wednesday or Thursday. The Senate has approved the trade deal.

If it loses by a couple votes in the House it will be easy for business interests to target those seats. So, it won't.

Posted by Orrin Judd at July 26, 2005 6:30 AM