Thursday, 1 August, 2002, 21:23 GMT 22:23 UK
The US Senate has voted to grant President George W Bush full trade negotiating powers.
The result was seen as a long-awaited victory for the White House, which has been seeking such powers for the President since he was elected in November 2000.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/2166968.stm
Yes, he has Fast Track authority, which Congress refused to renew for President Clinton in 1994 (rather partisan politics IMHO.)
That doesn't mean the the President can unilaterally sign trade agreements, they still must be approved by Congress. To give the President full trade authority, Article 1, section 8 of the US Constitution would have to be amended.
http://internationalecon.com/v1.0/ch20/20c020.html
I'm not sure anyone wants to give the presidency that much power, myself included.