“Could” conveys lot of information. I’m not sure how you can read the entire editorial and come away with the impression that the NYT is endorsing any of the specific policies that may or may not be in the TPP. Yes, they do seem support the signing of some sort of trade agreement, but they acknowledge at the outset that “hard bargaining lies ahead.”
They also write: “Because of the broad scope of these talks, negotiators are grappling with many difficult issues. We have expressed concerns about a controversial American proposal that could limit the ability of the Trans-Pacific countries to regulate the sale of tobacco products.” Not sure how you read this as an endorsement of the treaty as proposed by the US.
