Obama tries to sell the Pacific trade pact to nations concerned about its fate

On a week-long tour of China and Laos, President Obama is trying to reassure anxious foreign partners that even if he waits till after the election to make a big push for his sweeping Pacific Rim trade deal, U.S. politics won’t jeopardize its passage. A failure by Congress to ratify the Trans Pacific Partnership deal would “call into question America’s leadership” just as a new administration transitions into power, Obama warned Tuesday. “As difficult as the politics are back home, I will continue to push hard on the U.S. Congress to approve TPP before I leave office because I think it is important for this entire region and it is important for the United States,” he said.