Can Obama sell his 'hard stuff' to the Senate?
The weather saved President Barack Obama from witnessing his climate change plan being pulled apart before his eyes. He told the assembled travelling White House press that he, and they, had to make a quick exit because of a weather warning in Washington. The warning of a blizzard was the advice here is don't leave home, and as I write I'm watching snow gusting down on the usually busy road outside. It's been empty all morning. On TV an excited reporter has just said "this is not just a storm, but a natural disaster unfolding before our eyes". Maybe not, but the president is now home and the White House says he has no engagements for the weekend. I don't blame him.
But it was the speed of the spin that avoided the appearance of a collapse of the talks. First a White House statement of a deal, and then the presidential news conference hailing the agreement between some of the world's most important countries as a modest step forward. His tone certainly wasn't unrealistically victorious, he was straightforward, thoughtful and rather downbeat.
He said he understood the problems of developing countries but seized on the fact that for the first time India had made a commitment to cut greenhouse gases. His whole message was that
He said this year had taught him when it came to "hard stuff" it was better to make some progress, and then try to make it better. I like the headline from the "11th hour Copenhagen pact better than none, but barely." It is how Obama probably feels himself.
Of course his critics, like the will be quick to condemn the deal as a "sham" and a "farce", and keen to portray the president as being "snubbed" by other world leaders. That's just rather crude party politics. There are a minority here who see any deal-making with foreigners as humiliatingly weedy.
But committing America to the cuts the president has promised will be a struggle for him. The fact that he has pushed through an agreement by emerging nations to cut greenhouse gases, and that these will be verified, helps him: just a little bit. It is better than a total breakdown. He himself said that without verification that other countries were cutting their emissions it would be "a hollow victory". But the deal is not legally binding and the verification process sounds pretty hazy.
The Fox News "Copenhagen Chaos Could Imperil Senate Climate Bill" may be somewhat over the top, but it is true that a deal that isn't legally binding and one where there isn't independent international verification of any reduction in emissions will be red meat to those who want to oppose the cap and trade bill. And it may genuinely increase the worries of those who think unilateral reductions in the US will give the emerging world a competitive advantage.
One reader has chided me by e-mail for giving the impression that the American people, rather than their senators, need persuading that climate change is real and serious. He points me towards this which indicates 73% of Americans want emissions cut even if there is not a deal. It is an important point, although other opinion polls, are less clear. But the president does have big problems with the Senate. While he has acted forcefully in Copenhagen and snatched at least some chestnuts from the fire the failure to achieve an overall, binding deal will make his task more difficult.
I’m Mark Mardell, the ´óÏó´«Ã½'s North America editor. These are my reflections on American politics, some thoughts on being a Brit living in the USA, and who knows what else? My 
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