Obama administration criticized for auto stance

[March 31, 2009]  WASHINGTON (AP) -- A Senate Republican whose state is home to auto manufacturing plants says the Obama administration's aggressive intervention in the industry sets "a very dangerous precedent."

Sen. Bob Corker said it wasn't just the forced ouster of General Motors Corp. CEO Rick Waggoner that caused him concern. He accused the administration of taking a "we know best" attitude in connection with the problems in the domestic industry and said that should "send a chill throughout the country."

Interviewed Tuesday on CBS's "The Early Show," Corker charged that Waggoner's firing "was something of a sideshow to take away from the fact that no real progress" had been made in negotiations to steady the failing auto company.

Corker said, "We're evolving into a place that this country has not seen. I want to raise alarm bells."

[Associated Press]

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