Obama hails U.S. auto industry rebirth

WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama hailed the rebound of the U.S. auto industry Tuesday, trumpeting an economic story he hopes to use to his political advantage in key states such as Michigan and Ohio.

In a not-so-veiled shot at Republican presidential front-runner Mitt Romney, Obama said it was worth remembering that there were some leaders "willing to let this industry die."

Obama sat in shiny new plug-in electric hybrids and burly trucks during a quick tour of the Washington Auto Show, declaring, "The U.S. auto industry is back."

He emphasized his administration's rescue of General Motors and Chrysler from the brink of collapse as Romney was surging in Florida's Republican primary, a contest that could bring him a step closer to winning the nomination and running against Obama in November.

The president did not mention Romney by name, but told reporters it was "good to remember the fact that there were some folks who were willing to let this industry die. Because of folks coming together we are now back at a place where we can compete with any car company in the world."

For Obama, the auto bailout has been a case study for his efforts to revive the economy and a potential point of contrast with Romney, who opposed Obama's decision to pour billions of dollars into the auto companies. The president's campaign views the auto story line as a potent argument against Romney, the son of a Detroit auto executive who served later as Michigan governor.

The auto show tour was just another example of the White House taking every opportunity to highlight its efforts to rebuild the auto industry, with aides frequently pointing to GM's re-emergence as the world's largest automaker and job growth and profitability in the U.S. auto industry.

As the industry was collapsing in late 2008, Romney predicted in a New York Times opinion article that if the companies received a federal bailout, "you can kiss the American automotive industry goodbye." The former Massachusetts governor said the companies should have undergone a "managed bankruptcy" that would have avoided a government bailout.