Rising And Falling With Detroit

I was taken by the appearance of the Obama Auto Task Force (standing behind the President as he discusses the Chrysler bankruptcy), the members looking clearly outside their comfort zone. (I appreciate the Truman touch, by the way, although the painting seems to only heighten the look of anxiety amongst the team.)

Not knowing Chrysler’s fate until the night before, the team members seemed to appear before the press without their game faces on. (Geithner, in particular, casts a look to Obama like he hopes he knows what he is doing.) What the photo reveals, then, perhaps more clearly than any other so far, is the strength of Obama’s leadership — especially, in house — in the face of multiple tremendous challenges.

(revised: 1/2/09 1:27 am PST)

And then, this image from today’s NYT Chrysler bankruptcy slide show symbolizes how much an American president can appear to be standing up for an American auto company, the sales numbers and the ability to move cars. (Notice the seal of the office affixed to the hood.)

(updated: 9:16 pm PST.)

(image 1: Greg Gibson/Associated Press. image 2: Kevin Lamarque/Reuters. caption: U.S. President Barack Obama (C) speaks about Chrysler and the auto industry, as he stands with his auto task force at the White House in Washington April 30, 2009. Obama confirmed on Thursday that auto maker Chrysler LLC would go into Chapter 11 bankruptcy and enter a deal with Italy’s Fiat to survive. )