Of course you wouldn't. You're not an idiot. But it appears the U.S. Congress is even dumber than I thought -- although you wouldn't think it possible, considering the bar is already down around my ankles.
As part of a restructuring plan tied to billions of dollars in low-interest federal loans, Democrats in Congress may ask General Motors, Chrysler, and Ford Motor Co. to kick their CEOs to the curb. I wonder who they plan to replace the CEOs with -- Dennis Kucinich?
I don't have a strong opinion about Chrysler CEO Robert Nardelli or GM CEO Rick Wagoner. (If you do, let me know what you think in the Comments thread.)
But I'm certain of this: Ford CEO Alan Mulally fits the profile of the kind of leader the car companies desperately need: he's not a lifelong car guy, he's untainted by old-school Big 3 politics, and he has been successful in another manufacturing industry.
Thanks to Mulally, Ford made a profit in the first quarter of 2008. What's more, Mulally saw the credit crisis coming and fought to get a line of credit for Ford way back in 2006, so the automaker could weather the storm in 2008. That's foresight, and it's the reason Ford doesn't need a government loan to stay in business after the holidays.
You can't blame the Detroit 3 for the rapidly escalating price of gasoline this year, which slowed sales. Blame Bush, Cheney, and America's miserable energy policies.
You can't blame the Detroit 3 for the Wall Street credit crisis, either, which paralyzed sales. But that's not stopping Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher J. Dodd (D) from spearheading a drive to can the auto CEOs. Puh-leeze. Isn't Dodd the author of our current financial meltdown? Talk about the pot calling the kettle black.
"Rather than making decisions based on emotion, we should let an oversight board do a deep dive before deciding who should lead the auto industry. Hearsay is a silly way to govern," said leading auto industry expert Dr. David E. Cole to Huffington Post. "Calling for their heads is ridiculous. What do politicians know about running a car company?"
I'm just sayin'.