Most dealmakers assume a Barack Obama victory in the general election will mark the end of a relatively lax antitrust enforcement regime. This assumption might be on the money.

The Senator, at the end of July, sent a letter to Karl Zinsmeister, director of the White House's Domestic Policy Council, requesting a careful examination of UPS's deal to assume a significant portion of DHL's US air business.

"The Department of Justice should examine the [UPS/DHL] transaction to ensure that it is not in violation of antitrust laws," the Senator and Democratic nominee for president wrote. He further noted that if the transaction is not in violation, then the government must provide assistance "in finding new work for [the community's] people and new use for the existing infrastructure."

The Illinois Senator cites in the letter that the arrangement between UPS and DHL could eliminate "at least 8,000 jobs" in Ohio and impact "an estimated 41 counties." Of course, it should be noted that Ohio is considered a swing state for the Senator as he prepares to take on Senator John McCain in the presidential election.

In early August, Obama received support from Senators Herb Kohl (D-Wisc.) and Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), who wrote a letter to the Justice Department and the Federal Trade Commission, also claiming that the arrangement stifles competition.

The deal, inked in May, stipulates that UPS will carry certain DHL freight for packages within the US and also between the US, Canada and Mexico. The arrangement, which doesn't technically qualify as either an acquisition or a merger, is expected to last for 10 years, according to published reports, with an anticipated $1 billion in annual revenue and savings expected to be realized by UPS and DHL, respectively. UPS has a similar arrangement with the US Postal Service.

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