Oh, dear lord. Not another one.

Coming on the heels of the magnificent achievement of getting half the legislature to agree to kill the Affordable Care Act, which occasioned a White House hootenanny and came to nothing, and the towering diplomatic triumph with North Korea, which occasioned a brief burst of optimism and has come to nothing, we have a New Trade Deal With Mexico. From the BBC:

In a televised appearance at the White House, Mr Trump said the two sides had agreed on terms that made for an "incredible" deal that was "much more fair." However, the final outcome remains in doubt. The White House appearance included a phone call with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto, who stressed the importance of an agreement that includes Canada. But Mr Trump told Mr Pena Nieto that he remained open to separate, bilateral deal with Canada.

Officials want to reach an agreement before the newly elected Mexican president, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, takes office in December. In order to meet that deadline, negotiators must present Congress with a deal at least 90 days in advance. Republicans in Congress, who are typically supporters of free trade, have pressed the White House to strike a deal, arguing that the relationship has benefited US farmers and other groups. Shares in companies that benefit from trilateral trade gained on Monday. The Mexican peso also climbed.

But some industry groups said they wanted more clarity on final terms before celebrating the deal.

There will be a week or so of celebratory tweets and self-glorifying bloviating of all sorts —much of it, I'm ashamed to say, aimed at deflecting attention from the extended obsequies in Washington for John McCain this weekend. But Canada still has a vote here, and so does the Congress. My guess? NAFTA essentially will be back, rebranded under the TRUMP logo, and another great victory will be proclaimed. Ms. Tomlin, again, is always right—no matter how cynical you are, it's never enough to keep up.

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Charles P. Pierce Charles P Pierce is the author of four books, most recently Idiot America, and has been a working journalist since 1976.

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