This would require a lame-duck Congress and, if Mr Obama loses, a lame-duck president to haggle over extending policies they detest.

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If Mitt Romney wins, Republicans, who would probably in that case control the Senate as well as the House, would have no incentive to negotiate with a lame-duck president.

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So the reality is that the MDP needs the cooperation of its main rival, the GNP, if Kim is not to serve out the remaining three years of his term as a lame-duck president.

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Should Romney win the election, any attempts by a lame-duck president to ram through a trade deal will be met with fierce opposition from Congressional Republicans and a near-certain veto threat by a new administration.

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"Obama's going to come in, if he wins a second term, as a lame-duck president from day one into a Congress that is now a poisoned well" because of his unilateral move to halt some deportations, she said.

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It is probably already too late for a grand bargain that includes Social Security reform, but a smaller compromise perhaps trading some tax cuts for higher social spending and expansion of Medicare to include prescription drugs might prove attractive to a lame-duck president.

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Considering the tightness of the race, it is unlikely that the MDP, which currently does not have a majority in the National Assembly, will attain it after the polls. (The MDP is forecast to win around 110 seats, the GNP about 120.) This means Kim will have to forge a new coalition if he is not to serve out the remaining three years as a lame-duck president.

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So why did this lame-duck president send lawmakers a trade agreement with Colombia Monday?

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But as Congress prepares for a brief lame-duck session next week, at least Democrats know where President Bush stands.

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