Obama ditches trade for health care

Only a few weeks ago the Obama team was pushing the proposed Panama agreement in Congress, trying to clear obstacles erected by the Democratic majority in the waning months of the Bush administration.

New Trade Representative Ron Kirk told the U.S. Chamber of Commerce he was "working furiously” to wrap up the Panama deal and to get final approval on a long-pending agreement with Colombia — both of which would benefit U.S. businesses.

Less than a week later, dozens of House Democrats balked in a letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi, The Hill reports. Now the administration is backing away, fearing a messy intramural fight over trade could spoil efforts to pass health care by summer’s end.