CNN

If Columbia is one of the few friends we have in South America, I can see why it is important for us to stay close to Columbia and trade with them.
We wouldn't want to isolate ourselves in South America, would we?
Economy and trade, education, energy and national security are all correlated.

The auto industry needs to clean house starting at the top before any goverment bailout and make way for a new direction to more enviromentally cleaner emmision cars.That would be the deal from the goverment and to impose regulations .To make them clean out there low quality products that only rip the american people off.And up hold there warranties.Which they do not now,There standards need to be on the up and up and the best quality and to be more competetive with foreign auto makers abroad.If not then they should not be entitled to any bailout because it will only fail in disaster.

If the US auto makers could learn how to make a quality car, perhaps they wouldn't be in this mess. A bailout is just a temporary fix and does not address the core issue. Until they learn how to produce quality vehicles, they will continue to fail. Why throw money away to postpone the inevitable?

How can there be any bargaining between them when President elect Obama wants to put people to work and President Bush wants to put people out of work with cheap labor from Colombia?

If Bush trys to hold financial aid to the US auto industry hostage for some trade deal with a banana republic he should be tarred, feathered and rode out of town on a rail...

You expect me to believe anything a politician says? If they deny, it's usually not the truth.

In order to vet a proposal, Obama deliberately leaked a private and top-level conversation.

Expect it to happen again. This is what happens when put someone who never had to work for a thing in their life and has no experience into a leadership position. Skilled diplomats the world over are going to have a field day with this guy.

But lets look at what is really going on. UAW and other union PACs contributed over 40 million dollar to Obama's campaign. He has to pay them back now. This is typical corrupt Chicago-style politics.

Change? That is just a line to get elected. When Obamabots are in the midst of the impending depression just remember that you are the ones who believed hype over substance and catch words over sound fiscal policy.

Bush don't you know most American, could care less about any free trade agreement with columbian. Tell us how the crisis here in America is going to be taken care of. Put your country first for once in your life time.

TO: Sad Sarah and No Hillary = No Obama:

I feel for you – pity that is. I felt cheated when the Republicans stole two elections. It must be much more devastating to be defeated by such a large margin, and not have a controversy surrounding it!

No one was able to cry foul; we demand a recount! Life is good!

Come on back into the human race people!. President Obama is your president too; like it or not! Standing behind him now would be the patriotic thing to do, and that would be truly putting Country First!

wasn't this collapse predicted like twenty years ago when it became obvious that US auto companies needed to start looking at energy saving cars? The Asian markets did and look at where they are now. US companies were greedy and just didn't want to look down the road to the future of where cars were going. They wanted the biggest and baddest SUVs and trucks and didn't care about nobody including the evironment when they were making them. I think that just like the banks, they should pay for their short sightedness. Everything has a cycle and change is with us all the time. We can't hold on to the old way of doing things and the banks and auto companies have played their course. Besides, everything else we buy came from another country, why not our cars too? That is just so pitiful.

Both of them should have listened to Ron Paul.

Rush and I love all this.We can make a fortune off the morons in the next four years.Our jobs are secure,shame yours isnt.

While the President Bush administration was looking out for the mortgage fallout, the President-elect Obamas administration will be looking at the opportunity of help bail out the auto industry. I wish the Dem’s the best, however they need to be mindful of the country as a whole so the wont have a recourse come 2012 or there of!

Being over zealous can be as bad as greedy that leads to corruption, which can destroy an administration as well.

Why is our congress so wimpy, they keep give American International Group AIG money and all they do is spend it on dumb stuff like parties, and they try to hide that they are having parties too!

New Automakers who want to produce electric cars are making a big push to get them on the roads of America. The Big Automakers made a choice to scrap and destroy electric cars back in 2003, now they should be allowed to fail since they chose to sell more auto parts rather then look to the future or plan for the future! Failing to plan is a plan to fail!

Now it the time to lower the Maximum Interest Rate for Mortgages, Bank Loans, and Credit Cards! By lowering the maximum rate on these interest rate that almost every Americans use in their lives, you can give instant relief to all American who are suffering from mounting debt, by cutting their monthly costs! Hopefully you will lower Mortgages to a maximum of ten percent, Bank Loans to a maximum of twelve percent, and Credit Cards to a maximum of fifteen percent! It does not make much since to make Credit Cards Companies rich while Americans are going broke!

New Automakers who want to produce electric cars are making a big push to get them on the roads of America. The Big Automakers made a choice to scrap and destroy electric cars back in 2003, now they should be allowed to fail since they chose to sell more auto parts rather then look to the future or plan for the future! Failing to plan is a plan to fail!

I can wait until Bush and his clowns are out of office then maybe we the country will get back to basics and start moving the country in the right direction. Stem cell I am for that one

If you got a new job and the boss started berating you for the blunders of your predecessor on your very first day, how would you feel? Instead of waiting for Obama to hiccup so you can lambaste him you should be praying for him because he has been given a janitorial job – CLEANING UP A CESSPOOL! Furthermore, as a President-elect, there are restrictions on what he can publicize at this point in time.

Some things are going to have to be dealt with once Obama sits in the Oval office. There are PLENTY of things to be done/reverse and it WILL take time. "Rome wasn't built in a day"... Even God with all His powers did not form all the heavens and earth in one day either! (I'm NOT stating Obama is God or the Messiah like some do.) It's just going to take some time to "undo" the damage left over by the current administration. Yes, the current "admi" is still in power for those who think Obama should be doing more. It's ONLY been 7 days! You have to wait until January people...

If Bush could just simply fail at this CFT deal the way he has failed at everything else, it would be a nice parting gift on his part. Luckily it's not on the Dem agenda for the congressional session.

There's no way BO could have tried to link these without some protest from Joe the Labor Guy.

The most probable reason for the denial is because it did not happen, unless Biden is suddenly going to reverse his 35-year platform history.

Sue – I have an uncle that retired from GM's Arlington plant. When the plant would close down, he would go about his merry way, building his house or whatever, because the UNION paid him 95% of his salary which, by the way, was nothing to sneeze at! The unions are a huge part of the problem!!!

No matter what bad happens while Obama is president, it will be blamed on Bush. Hang on for change.

Why wouldn't Obama tell his people to keep their mouth shut about private conversations. Politics as usual, but Change You Can Believe In?

People we will get out of this mess once Obama takes over. Change is a coming for us all. It will take hard work from all of us. We must come together as a nation or we will be done for. We must learn from our past. The election is over and it is now time to come together and get this country back working for us all.

Please do not betray the people for a deal with Bush, all he cares about is making his rich friends richer!

Now it the time to lower the Maximum Interest Rate for Mortgages, Bank Loans, and Credit Cards! By lowering the maximum rate on these interest rate that almost every Americans use in their lives, you can give instant relief to all American who are suffering from mounting debt, by cutting their monthly costs! Hopefully you will lower Mortgages to a maximum of ten percent, Bank Loans to a maximum of twelve percent, and Credit Cards to a maximum of fifteen percent! It does not make much since to make Credit Cards Companies rich while Americans are going broke!

New Automakers who want to produce electric cars are making a big push to get them on the roads of America. The Big Automakers made a choice to scrap and destroy electric cars back in 2003, now they should be allowed to fail since they chose to sell more auto parts rather then look to the future or plan for the future!

I Still say , any one who goes out and buy's beyond there means.

And now wants the rest of the country to pay there bills , so they can live Hollywood style .

Suffer , No one every gave me anything. No one ever came to my door and say , Here is your free weekly check , need more , we will give it to you.

I say , days work , never hurt any one. But No these people have lived , hollywood style . I say sorry. You didn't need 2 suv's an a boat. Live with in your means. Go to work . Come back an do it again . No Starbucks today. Try an old dried out piece of bread OK!!

... and your point is ???

I thought everyone wanted bipartisanship? As for bailing out the automakers, balance that with the cost of unemployment for thousands more and the ripple effect on all of us.

I'd rather see AIG, who again sent their top executives on an expensive, so-called secret week of meetings ... to practice their lies and begging skills. If the Holiday inn is good enough for Pastor Huckabee, it is almost too good for AIG!

Mia and MIke – he wouldn't have to "get a hold" of anyone if HE would keep HIS mouth shut! Typical black! They just have to brag! Boy, you dems sure voted in a good one! He'll have his country under communist rule in 6 months if he's not stopped! He thinks its all going to be "his way". I've got news for the dressed up "suit"!

I think the banks an the auto industry should go down.....then a new an improved banking system an auto industry will emerge. all these things were ran terribly under Bush now we need to have an new industry to begin a new an improved America

This is all new and historic yet I believe we are on a better track and going the right way. WHEW!!!
Thank God the GOP got taken out so broadly.
Progressives move progress forward. Let's stand by this President elect Barack Obama. He has great team that are super intelligent and super capable, so stand back and give them some space.

I'm a retiree from the auto industry and a lot of people do not know what they are talking about. I have been in 3 lay offs and they are not pretty. If the Big Three fall then a lot of jobs will go under, and it is more than you can imagine.

The auto industry is the heart of America with a lot of veins connected. Make note it is not only the auto workers it is the railroad, truckers, vendors, dealers, furniture, pipes, metal, coal, restaurants, stockholders, retail, housing, lenders, united way, ups and the whole nine yards, there is a connection and if they don't get the money they need there will be a dominoe effect on jobs near and far that will not stop. This will cause a shut down all over America.

You may be pointing fingers now but this is not the time. The auto industry need help like yesterday and not tomorrow.

Why does it matter when you get a job I mean thats your choice do you have a college education?

please don`t bail out auto workers. do you know they make 48 to 85 dollars per hour? this is disgraceful. let them take a drop in pay like a lot of co`s do. i heard their med, insurance is for life. come on let`s get real.

Cool we can Bail them out and then raise the gas tax $1 to help pay for it . So much for the prices going down

So when are they going to start bailing out people like me who 's job (formerly employed by a major bank) was eliminated as a result of a bank bailout last spring?

Forget about helping Columbian drug Lords (the high ranking officials within Gov't.). Like always, Refiblicans would rather help other 3rd world countries, so as to set up cheaper labor for potentially out -sourcing American jobs to benfit the Coporate wealthy. And as usual, they would rather forget about helping American citizens suffering from an economy they themseelves (GOP) have caused.

why woldn't he mitch

Forget about helping Columbian drug Lords (the high ranking officials within Gov't.). Like always, Refiblicans would rather help other 3rd world countries, so as to set up cheaper labor for potentially out -ourcing American jobs to benfit the Coporate wealthy. And as usual, they would rather forget about helping American citizens suffering from an economy they themseelves (GOP) have caused.

Regardless of leaked innuendo, Bush and the GOP cannot be trusted to keep their word on anything. McCain was the last example of going back on their own words and he represented the new leader of the Republican party!

I am glad Obama is prepping hard to hit the Presidency running on day one. Keep up the great work and go team Obama!

why would anyone think barack would negotiate with bush over anything?

Democrats, we have the power NOW.
Togethers we WIND!!!....this is the only ting count!!!

I agree with most. The Presidient of the United States is George Bush Until 01/20/09 @ midnight. Until then, President Elect Obama is a Senator and has no power over what the White House does until then. You Anti-Obama types are looking for anything and everything to cry about, which makes you look like the losers you are. Obama will be ready as us 65 million knew on 11/04/2008 when he takes over. I can't wait until most of you start benefiting from the Obama Adminstration, well....maybe I can......... you'll probably be complaining about how good your life is and you want to go back to your grumpy miserable days under the Bush Adminstration.

Hey No Hillary = No Obama

Hillary called, she said to tell you she lost, get over it!

@ ron from california

I have family that worked for GM. They were hourly workers and none of them ever made $35 an hour. I don't know where you are getting that from.

Actually, I'd like to see the executives of GM as well as any other company in trouble take a big hit in there multi-million dollar compensation packages before any workers – blue collar or white collar – take a hit. These workers don't make the decisions that steers a company – the execs do and should not be making millions when the company is in trouble.

anon

Filing chapter 11 still leaves a million others ( or more ) of those indirectly employed by the Detroit 3 holding the bag. I'm talking about the suppliers, sub-contractors, dealerships, steel companies, fabric mills, paint manufacturers, stamping plants, etc., etc., . These people and the companies they work for will all go bankrupt. These small supplier companies when added together employ far, far more than the auto companies themselves. It's nothing at all like the airlines.

the auto industry problem is two fold. First they need to build fuel efficency cars. Even if those cars are built, people have no money to buy and the banks are not approving loans. Toyota has fuel efficency cars and they are decreasing production and possible closing their plant. the economy needs to be fixed.

Bailing the main street is fine.... many need that to survive to fulfill necessities.

Bailing out big corporation is very subjective as those companies are still surviving..... May be there are other ways to solve their problems. Furthermore, with Bush tax policies, they have benefited a lot. Bailing them out does not save many jobs. They are not going to hire back the employees they laid off. (The 'rich' better pay more taxes since they take away more bailout.)

Mr President-Elect, perhaps you could think out of box to solve these problems. Keep bailing out may not be the best solutions.

THE MEDIA NEEDS TO STEP BACK AND LEAVE OBAMA ALONE...CNN EVEN FILMED HIM ENTERING THE BATHROOM ON THE PLANE...THAT IS VERY LOW!!!!

UAW is responsible for this mess. Their members should take wage cut before any taxpayer money is given to GM. GM hourly employees are paid well above market rate. Who gets paid $35 without decent education..

@ J J

Well as a Democrat, I know I would suck it up and accept it and stop whining and complaining at every turn. I certainly did after both Bush terms.

But then again, I enjoy being happy and optimistic and I suspect many of the people who post in here don't function that way.

Obama, already denying things. Not a good sign. We have come to expect this from Bush. But Mr. Change?

Bailout Detroit and trash the Columbia deal. We have enough issues with NAFTA as it is. What exaclty are we trading with Columbia anyway? Coke and coffee for what????

I thought the process was that if a company could not make it, they could file for bankruptcy. It give an opportunity to reorgainze.

Other auto industry companies around the world, with companies here in the US are not asking for handouts!

Obama be careful. No one is to be trusted unless you appoint them. Those republicans probably have something up their sleeve. They're like a bad penny, just can't get rid of them.

From the policies that Obama is going put in place it looks like a Hoover administration. This administration looks like it going to lead the country into the worst depression ever.

The Clinton administration started this mess by loosening up the controls on borrowing? Remember the guy Green Span saying he made a mistatke? Well that eight years of Clinton has hit us hard and we are paying for it.

Does anyone remeber that the american people were up in arms to go after the terrorist after 9/11? So Bush followed the peoples wants to go after the terrorist. So now we're going to pull out of the region and allow the rebuilding of the terroist. I hope the american people are ready to pay for Obama's election through their wallets and possibly their childrens lives.

"worried about all of these "leaks""

Hey that was Obama's main strategy during the campaign: leaks, innuendo, and I-didn't-know. But that doesn't really make it as a leader. Unless you want things NOT to change. Oh wait......

If there is a bailout it should be more along the lines of loans contingent upon higher mileage vehicles and also UAW concessions or dissolving the unions. The imbedded cost of the unions make the cars more expensive than they are worth. There are plenty of non-union car manufacturing in the US. I dont see Honda struggling like GM is, and the one I own was build here.

Obama may be the President Elect, but until he is sworn in as President, his power to do anything is only as a Senator. The ball is still in Bush's hands and only he has the power to throw it in any direction he wants, right or wrong. Then Obama will have to chase it down and get it sent in the right direct. That being what is best for the good old USA.

Is it the 20th of January yet. Did someone fast forward the clock? Methinks that a bit of confidentiality lurked within the meeting. PATIENCE IS A VIRTUE!!!!!

And this blabber mouth now holds the secrets of our nation and our safety in his hands...thanks America!

Bush had better do something before he leaves because Obama does not have a clue !

Matt November 11th, 2008 4:02 pm ET

@ IowaMom

No way. The interwebz is teh new bible. I saw it on the interwebz.
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Wow, cool. Ok since that's true "the Hawkeyes are going to win the national championship this year".

There it's on that fancy interwebz now so I guess it is true. Yippeee!!

Salt November 11th, 2008 4:00 pm ET

"Seriously everyone needs to step back and let the man work before jumping to conclusions on everything. It's so sad that people are just sitting around waiting for the guy to make a mistake. I'm quite sure the Dems wouldn't be so childish if McCain had won."

I am quite sure you are wrong.

steve r - that would be President Barack Hussein Obama.

Ha ha ha ha ha haha

JL November 11th, 2008 3:48 pm ET

"I think we need to wait and see what Obama does, rather than speculating and over-analyzing his every move. We need to wait at least until he is sworn in, or has a team under him, before we start this speculation."

Especially since he sanitized his websites and no longer has details of what he promised.

So what !!!

The US auto-industry has to be helped...and needs to restructure just like we did in Europe...

This restructuring should be made mandatory if they are to receive tax-payer help...with no taboos on either side...

Letting the big three fail will have world wide repercussions !!!

Why would Hussein Obama work with anyone now. He is ever so close to having the ultimate power which the democRATS have been moaning about for the last 8 years...

Hang in there Hussein Obama claim victory for yourself but do not give Bush one before he is gone.

@ IowaMom

No way. The interwebz is teh new bible. I saw it on the interwebz.

@Business is Business - Yeah, because you have more insight to what's going on then what you make up.

I'm getting a little worried about all of these "leaks" lately. Our new Presdent needs to get a better hold on these people! I'm quite sure he will in the next few weeks, but there's my two cents.

Seriously everyone needs to step back and let the man work before jumping to conclusions on everything. It's so sad that people are just sitting around waiting for the guy to make a mistake. I'm quite sure the Dems wouldn't be so childish if McCain had won.

bailing out the auto-industry will only delay the inevitable and cost the taxpayers billions.

let them file for chapt 11, re-organize, re-structure, and re-tool.

Filing chapt 11 doesn't mean they go away for ever and all their employees lose jobs. Airlines do it.

Bush still has lots of time to leave a real mess, and he's going to be leaving the biggest of all-time as it is! Obama is going to have his work cut-out for him, for certain, and I don't envy his situation. I see where Limbaugh, unaware that he hasn't even been sworn in yet, is already starting the failed presidency rant. When are we going to get the full story on the Oxycontin Prince anyway?!?!

Already in denial.

November 11th, 2008 3:48 pm ET

I think we need to wait and see what Obama does, rather than speculating and over-analyzing his every move. We need to wait at least until he is sworn in, or has a team under him, before we start this speculation.
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I agree. After all, we all should know we cannot believe everything we see on the internet, that's for sure!

HAHAHAHA...can't wait to see all the religiots come out of the woodwork crying about stem cells and abortion. That's right. I'm laughing at you because you seem to have forgotten that this entire country's existence is premised on people keeping their religion out of other peoples' affairs. You can avoid offering a comments section on that article to avoid the controversy CNN, but people are still going to want to talk about it, cry about it, wave picket signs about it...and the resst of us who understand the premise of America will just laugh and laugh and laugh. Ooops, did yo lose the opportunity to pack the Supreme Court with neocons? TOO BAD!

I think we need to wait and see what Obama does, rather than speculating and over-analyzing his every move. We need to wait at least until he is sworn in, or has a team under him, before we start this speculation.