Pollster John Zogby reports in our weekly White House report card that President Obama is feeling good after finally winning Senate confirmation of his new attorney general, but a fight over trade could hurt the presidency.
“Some highs and lows for President Obama this week. On the high side an agreement between Democrats and Republicans on a human trafficking bill means not only another compromise but cleared the way for confirmation of new Attorney General Loretta Lynch.
“And on the potentially high side, an emerging strategy to fight [the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria] and other destabilizing elements in the Middle East with an upcoming summit among Gulf countries, while finalizing a deal with Iran on nuclear weapons, gives the president some good news on the international front.
President Obama with new Attorney General Loretta Lynch. AP Photo
“But on the low side, Mr. Obama finds himself in a quarrel with the Democrats — and the progressive [side’s] favorite daughter Sen. Elizabeth Warren — over the Trans Pacific Partnership trade deal. Losing this would be a major blow to both the president and the presidency.”
Grade — C
Up from last week’s D+
Zogby is the senior analyst for Zogby Analytics and author (with Joan Snyder Kuhl) of “The First Globals: Understanding, Managing, and Unleashing our Millennial Generation.”
Paul Bedard, the Washington Examiner’s “Washington Secrets” columnist, can be contacted at [email protected].
