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Senators can work late into the night trying to find a path out of a thicket, but sometimes it鈥檚 only at the last minute, on the Senate floor, that a deal comes together.

That鈥檚 what happened聽Thursday聽morning on the highly controversial issue of trade. A half-hour into a key procedural vote on President Obama鈥檚 premier initiative, the outlook did not look good for granting him 鈥渇ast track鈥� trade negotiating authority.聽

More than 30 Democrats had lined up against Mr. Obama, while a scrum of senators from both parties huddled in the well, speaking with the majority leader, Sen. Mitch McConnell (R) of Kentucky. Others gathered on the periphery as the core group talked.

Suddenly, Sen. Maria Cantwell (D) of Washington spun around and registered a 鈥測ea鈥� vote. More 鈥測eas鈥� quickly followed. The logjam was broken and the president got the 60-plus votes he needed to move ahead on a fast track bill, with passage expected soon.

Senator McConnell, exiting the chamber doors, declared, 鈥淎 big win. We鈥檙e going forward. We鈥檙e going to finish the bill this week.鈥�

What broke the dam?

鈥淎lways on a matter like this, it鈥檚 about two considerations: one, the specific issues that are being discussed, and second, trust,鈥� said Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden, the Democrat co-sponsor of the trade package.

The specific deal was that majority leader McConnell assured Senator Cantwell of an opportunity in June to offer her bipartisan amendment to reauthorize the Export-Import Bank. The authorization for the 70-year-old federal export credit agency runs out聽June 30.

Good riddance, say many Republicans, including McConnell, who view the bank as corporate welfare. But Cantwell and others want to save the Ex-Im Bank as a key financier of exports and preserver of jobs.

Cantwell had hoped to salvage the bank by attaching reauthorization to a high-profile piece of must-pass legislation for the president, i.e., trade. McConnell and others wanted it out of the trade bill because it would upset the carefully negotiated package with the House, where passage is far from assured.

鈥淢aria, who feels very strongly ... about the Export-Import Bank, wanted a clear path that there would be a vote soon,鈥� said Sen. Bill Nelson (D) of Florida, who was in the scrum. 鈥淪he was given that assurance by Senator McConnell.鈥�

In other words, she and others trusted McConnell鈥檚 promise of a timely vote.

This is not the first time that the Senate has backed out of a dead end. Earlier bills, one to help victims of human trafficking, and another to grant congressional review of any Iran deal, came to a screeching halt, as senators looked for room to maneuver.

What has allowed them to steer away from impasse is the simple realization that to clear major legislation, they have to find common ground 鈥� because neither side has the 60 votes needed to overcome a filibuster, Senator Wyden told reporters.

鈥淚t鈥檚 pretty clear to me that a growing number of senators are aware that you really have a choice,鈥� he said, referring to this year's legislative stop-and-go traffic.

Without 60 votes, 鈥測ou can either try to pursue a coalition,鈥� he said, or 鈥渂asically just say we鈥檙e going to go off in our respective corners and everybody can spend their time looking for rotten fruit to throw at the other person.鈥�

Senators want to get things done, he said.聽