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AT THE very last moment, and just before his 50th birthday this week, Barack Obama got thedeal that raised the debt ceiling by between $2.1 trillion and $2.4 trillion and so prevented theUnited States from going into default on his watch. But this does not mean that the roof is notstill in danger of falling in on his presidency. The superstar of 2008, who once looked like ashoo-in for re-election, now appears extremely vulnerable. Despite talk that he will raise arecord $1 billion war chest, Democrats in Congress have begun to whisper that Mr Obamasfading chances of winning a second term are coming to depend on the absenceso farof anexciting Republican challenger. 在最后一刻，就在本周奥巴马50岁生日之前，他获得了协议，将债务上限提高2.1-2.4万亿美元，从而避免了美国在他执政期间出现违约。但是这并不意味着，在他担任总统期间已经毫无危险。2008年的超级明星曾经看起来必定会连任，但是现在看起来似乎非常不堪一击。尽管他将融资创纪录的10亿美元，但是国会的民主党人已经开始窃窃私语，奥巴马先生连任的可能性越来越小，是否能连任将取决于是否缺少出众的共和党总统候选人，到目前为止还没有出众的共和党总统候选人。 Single events seldom determine the fate of a presidency. Those who said just over a year agothat the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico would doom Mr Obama were as wrong as those whothought Mays killing of Osama bin Laden would make him unbeatable. The debt fight is insimilar danger of being over-interpreted. Mr Obamas fate depends more on two big bets heplaced well before the Republican capture of the House in Novembers mid-terms. The health-care reform that chewed up political capital in his first two years tanked with voters, and morethan $800 billion of stimulus spending has so far failed to deliver the hoped-for growth in jobs.The outcome of the next election will depend more on unemployment than on Mr Obamashandling of the past months comic opera on the debt ceiling. | 
