(Cadillac displayed this concept called "Converj" at January's Detroit Auto Show; GM said it uses the same plug-in hybrid drivetrain which will be found on the Chevrolet Volt. Chances of being produced? None).
He was shallow, patronizing, hitting old worn-out themes and appeared visibly nervous.
But enough about Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and his Republican "response" to President Barack Obama's enthusiastic, encouraging address to a joint session of Congress, and the nation, Tuesday night.
Mr. Obama took time during the speech to address one of the great concerns of all Americans and the world, the state of our domestic auto industry.
About midway through his near one hour presentation (which seemed like about 15 minutes to me), Pres. Obama said, "As for our auto industry, everyone recognizes that years of bad decision-making and a global recession have pushed our automakers to the brink. We should not, and will not, protect them from their own bad practices. 
(President Barack Obama tries his Sarah Palin impression on a young child).
"But we are committed to the goal of a re-tooled, re-imagined auto industry that can compete and win. Millions of jobs depend on it. Scores of communities depend on it. And I believe the nation that invented the automobile cannot walk away from it."
He also said, "We know the country that harnesses the power of clean, renewable energy will lead the 21st century. And yet, it is China that has launched the largest effort in history to make their economy energy efficient. We invented solar technology, but we've fallen behind countries like Germany and Japan in producing it. New plug-in hybrids roll off our assembly lines, but they will run on batteries made in Korea."
Didn't like his approach on that one too much; seemed a bit too jingoistic. And where can I buy one of our "plug-in hybrids?"
Maybe no one had told President Obama that General Motors has just founded, in Ann Arbor, MI, the future-research Advanced Battery Coalition for Drivetrains, along with the University of Michigan. We'll give him a pass, though; it was really his first big speech as president,.
(Is this Chevrolet Volt one of the plug-in hybrids which Mr. Obama referred to in his address to Congress? Hate to bring this up, but this car ain't rollin' off any American assembly lines anytime soon).
Americans need to know that every car maker outside the US is suffering and already scared to death, not only of what's happening to sales in their own home markets, but of the depression which has gripped the largest car and truck market in the world, the US.
And that "nation that invented the automobile" line was also playing with the facts more than a bit.
Extant plans from as far back as 16th century France depict concepts for steam-powered cars (or carriages, as animal-drawn passenger vehicles were known in those days; which, incidentally, is where the word "car" derives).
Which country did invent the car?
In late 19th-century Germany, Karl Benz, son of a railway engineer, began experimenting with engines and eventually put together a tiny, one-cylinder engine that featured three critical innovations still in use today -- an electric battery, spark plug and electric coil ignition.
In 1886, Benz (yes, that Benz) received a patent for his "motorwagen," now recognized worldwide as the first automobile.
(A replica of the "Motorwagen" Karl Benz patented in 1886; this is widely considered to be the first car because of its government-issued patent and many direct connections to today's autos).
In the US, the auto industry is generally regarded as starting September 21, 1893, when the Duryea brothers, Charles and Frank, of Springfield, MA, who were bicycle mechanics, built a carriage driven by a one-cylinder motor and were the first to sell cars commercially.
Coincidentally, the Stanley brothers, twins Francis and Freelan, who produced their first Stanley Steamer in 1987, were also from Massachusetts. The Springfield, MA, federal armory, which was then well-known around the world for producing interchangeable parts for weapons, served as a guide to bicycle- and auto-makers of the day.
What Henry Ford did in the US was develop the assembly line system, which he had seen in operation in Europe, to a point which was then well ahead of its time. He also borrowed the armament industry's system of mass-production of interchangeable parts and put it to work making car and trucks parts. Before then, if a part on a car broke, a machinist, blacksmith or other local metal worker would have to fabricate a brand-new replacement part from the ground up.
So, did Americans invent the automobile? Nah. But what the heck, right? It sounded good, and Mr. Obama is that rare orator who could read the phone book aloud and make people laugh or cry.
We're also finding out more about the people who sit on the President's Task Force on Autos.
In a previous post, we profiled all those task force members whose names had been announced by the Treasury Department. And now there's a new member: Steve Rattner.
According to the Detroit News, Rattner, the managing partner of a $6 billion New York hedge fund, will lead the Treasury Department's auto efforts, an official said Monday.
Rattner will join the Treasury Department as counselor to Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, "where he will serve as an adviser on a variety of economic and financial matters, and will lead the Treasury's efforts with regard to the automobile sector," an administration official said.
Rattner is a former New York Times reporter who had been widely viewed as a candidate for car czar in recent months. He was managing principal of Quadrangle Group, which has investments in at least 20 media and communications companies as part of its private equity business. 
Why does Rattner, an ex-hedge fund partner, make me as nervous as Tim Geithner does? Treasury Secretary Geithner, ex-president of the New York Federal Reserve, oversaw the Bush/Paulson dispersal of the first $350 billion in now-lost TARP money to the banks and Wall Street, the biggest theft in world history.
Let us know what you thought of Obama's speech, especially in regard to the auto industry, and of Rattner's appointment. Are we headed in the right direction to save Detroit, seemingly no matter the cost? What's the cut-off point?
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