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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