diff --git a/eval_tree.cc b/eval_tree.cc
index 13926ea0f..b5b198c1f 100644
--- a/eval_tree.cc
+++ b/eval_tree.cc
@@ -979,12 +979,7 @@ NetExpr* NetEBPow::eval_tree(int prune_to_width)
       verinum lval = lc->value();
       verinum rval = rc->value();
 
-      if (lc->has_sign() || rc->has_sign()) {
-	    return new NetEConst( pow(lval,rval) );
-      } else {
-	    return 0; // For now force this to the runtime.
-      }
-
+      return new NetEConst( pow(lval,rval) );
 }
 
 /*
diff --git a/verinum.cc b/verinum.cc
index 27c32e224..6fa5ee75f 100644
--- a/verinum.cc
+++ b/verinum.cc
@@ -496,11 +496,15 @@ verinum trim_vnum(const verinum&that)
       } else {
 
 	      /* If the result is unsigned and has an indefinite
-		 length, then trim off leading zeros. */
-	    tlen = 1;
-	    for (unsigned idx = tlen ;  idx < that.len() ;  idx += 1)
-		  if (that.get(idx) != verinum::V0)
-			tlen = idx+1;
+		 length, then trim off all but one leading zero. */
+	    unsigned top = that.len()-1;
+	    while ((top > 0) && (that.get(top) == verinum::V0))
+		  top -= 1;
+	    tlen = top+2;
+
+	      /* This can only happen when the verinum is all zeros,
+		 so make it a single bit wide. */
+	    if (that.get(top) == verinum::V0) tlen -= 1;
 
       }
 
@@ -1211,4 +1215,3 @@ verinum::V operator ^ (verinum::V l, verinum::V r)
 
       return verinum::Vx;
 }
-