Mike Froman, the top US trade official, barely had time to celebrate the groundbreaking deal among members of the World Trade Organisation sealed earlier this month after two nights of round the clock talks.
After just a few minutes of bleary-eyed smiles and congratulations with fellow trade ministers and WTO officials he had to fly to another high-stakes gathering in Singapore, where the US was trying to conclude a Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal with 11 other nations before the year-end.
The episode shows just how frenzied the first six months on the job have been for Mr Froman, who is credited with reviving the Obama administration's dormant trade liberalisation agenda and turning it into one of the most ambitious of any US president.
In an interview with the Financial Times last week, Mr Froman rattled off the highlights of his tenure so far, beginning with Bali, where the US was able to resolve a sticking point on agriculture with India and a last-minute snag regarding the Cuban embargo. This paved the way for a deal that could revive the WTO as a negotiating forum. "It was an important success," he says.
Mr Froman, whose ties to Mr Obama date back to their days at Harvard Law School and previously served as his sherpa for big international summits, is unequivocally upbeat about US effectiveness in global trade negotiations under his watch. The TPP summit Singapore did not result in a deal as the US had hoped, but that does not worry him too much.
Back in July there were certain chapters that countries weren't even engaging on, and now we see landing zones for the vast majority of outstanding issues. So I feel very good about where we are there," he says. An impasse with Japan is holding up the talks, and for Tokyo Mr Froman has a stern message, saying it has been made "very clear" to them and other countries that a higher level of ambition was required.
A trade deal with the EU is running further behind, with the third round of talks taking place last week in Washington. Originally, the EU and the US had wanted to see a deal possibly as early as 2015, but Mr Froman does not want to set any timetables, saying substance would dictate the timing of any deal, not vice versa. "There's a lot of political will on both sides to work through the issues and we're putting a lot of effort to that," Mr Froman says. "We're going to make as much progress as we can with the current commission."
On the home front, Mr Froman is having to contend with significant political scepticism about Mr Obama's trade agenda among members of Congress and his biggest challenge may be convincing Capitol Hill to back the agreements once they are sealed. Many of the doubts come from members of his own Democratic party, who do not believe trade agreements bolster the economy and are asking for much tougher stances in areas such as currency. They are being joined by some conservative Republicans who also seem determined to throw a wrench into Mr Obama's plans on trade.
Mr Froman will have to overcome these obstacles if he is to secure "fast track", or Trade Promotion Authority legislation, from Congress, in order to ensure a much smoother ride on Capitol Hill for both the EU and Pacific deals. Such a bill will be introduced in January, but its prospects have been complicated by the probable move of Max Baucus, its chief sponsor in the Senate, to become US ambassador to Beijing.
Mr Froman has not addressed Mr Baucus's departure in relation to TPA, but administration officials with a stake in trade policy met Mr Obama at the White House last week and are expected to step up their attempts to get backing on Capitol Hill. "The President said this is a priority of his", Mr Froman said.
Business groups are confident that if anyone can help sell Mr Obama's trade agenda on Capitol Hill, it will be Mr Froman.
"Mike knows trade. He thinks big, has the ear of the president and is willing to reach across party lines," says Bill Lane, global government affairs director at Caterpillar, the US industrial group. "With [him], it's not a question of 'if,' but 'when' the trade agreements are enacted," he adds.
Others are not so sure. One trade lawyer in Washington says he would give Mr Froman an A or A minus so far as an international negotiator, but only a B or B minus in terms of dealing with the political sensitivities of Congress, particularly with his own party. "His domestic politics are not nearly as good," the lawyer says.
But Mr Froman brushes off the sceptics and is sure he can help establish a new political consensus on trade policy in the US, starting with the Pacific deal. "I think the TPP is intended to be as a reflection of how to do trade right in terms of higher standards, high ambition, new discipline, levelling the playing field for American workers, and a trade agreement that reflects both our interests and our values," he says. "It will demonstrate how we think trade policy ought to be done," he adds.