Congress victory moves Obama's Pacific trade pact forward

By Krista Hughes and Richard Cowan WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Legislation vital to securing the largest U.S. trade deal in decades was passed by the Senate on Wednesday by a comfortable margin, advancing President Barack Obama's efforts to strengthen U.S. economic ties around the Pacific Rim. After a six-week congressional battle including two brushes with failure, some fancy legislative footwork and myriad backroom deals to keep the legislation alive, the Senate voted 60 to 38 to grant Obama &