Clinton's Two-Step On Trade

Now to Sunday's plunge. The most vexing issue for Clinton in relation to her own party is trade. Her initial strategy for managing this problem was to evade, which is frustrating for journalists like me but understandable as a political tactic: Why say something guaranteed either to rile up the base or lock you into a bad position in the general election?

So Sunday morning began with predictable ducking: "She's been very clear on where she stands on trade," campaign chairman John Podesta insisted to NBC's Chuck Todd. "But the agreement's not final, so when it is final, she'll render a judgment on that."

Come on. Clinton aides portray the current dispute -- about whether to give President Obama, and his successor, fast-track authority to negotiate trade agreements -- as "Washington inside baseball," as pollster Joel Benenson told ABC's "This Week."

But as Clinton well understands, the vote on Trade Promotion Authority, the fast-track bill, will determine the fate of the underlying trade agreement, the Trans-Pacific Partnership. That's why the fight over fast-track has been so intense.

By the afternoon, Clinton was moved to offer more clarity on her supposedly very clear position -- and this time, to weigh in on the side of House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi, who split with Obama last week to torpedo fast-track.

Obama, Clinton said, "should listen to and work with his allies in Congress, starting with Nancy Pelosi, who have expressed their concerns about the impact that a weak agreement would have on our workers, to make sure we get the best, strongest deal possible. And if we don't get it, there should be no deal."

How can this be understood as anything other than backing Pelosi's strategy of killing fast-track? How can this be squared with Clinton's previous description of the Trans-Pacific Partnership as setting "the gold standard in trade agreements"?

How can we have confidence that Clinton will stand up for what she believes in when that happens to conflict with her party's base and the political dictates of the moment?

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Ruth Marcus' email address is ruthmarcus@washpost.com.