Bush/Obama: the Dealmakers?

Obama Asks Bush to Provide Help for Automakers

The struggling auto industry was thrust into the middle of a political standoff between the White House and Democrats on Monday as President-elect Barack Obama urged President Bush in a meeting at the White House to support immediate emergency aid.

Mr. Bush indicated at the meeting that he might support some aid and a broader economic stimulus package if Mr. Obama and Congressional Democrats dropped their opposition to a free-trade agreement with Colombia, a measure for which Mr. Bush has long fought, people familiar with the discussion said.

So here we are, in their big meetin' yesterday Bush and Obama talked a little bit of horse trading. Bush will totally rescue the entire American auto industry (against his wishes because ewwwww socialism) if Obama and his liberal allies vote for a free trade agreement with Columbia (against their wishes because ewwww massive labor movement suppression). Bush also wants to throw in Sammy Sosa and a large sandwich to be named later, while Obama wants a basketball court and a perch for Tata to rain down hell on transgressors.

Automakers, especially GM, are in dire need of the money because they run their businesses horribly. Obama is willing to offer short term stimulus (read: free money) but won't commit to further action until he gets sufficient agreement on them making their production and cars more clean and energy efficient, at the behest of Enviropope Gore. The automakers have claimed that they might not make it to the new year, what with their payroll requirements combined with the horrible economy, frozen credit, and their awful business sense. Bush on the other hand, really just wants to leave office. All he's got left on his plate is Columbia, the epic GI Joe battle in the Oval Office next month, and all the regulations and protections he's going to fuck up the week before he leaves. This is all he really has left and he really wants the Democrats to ignore Columbia's horrible environmental and labor records, ignore the standards with which adults judge these trade agreements and just sign the damn thing so he can pretend he did something in his lame duck session.

Democrats are apparently willing to tell Bushie to stuff it, counting on the fact that he won't be able to let GM and others fail. They don't know Bushie. Bushie will hold his breath and stamp his feet. This is apparently going to be the big lame duck battle, possibly with a larger America stimulus thrown in. Well largest battle until they learn all those last minute regulations Bush is going to ram in. Bald eagles as mandatory fuel for logging machines? That'll be contentious.