Tom Friedman: While Detroit Slept

While Detroit Slept. Tom Friedman. New York Times, 12.10.08

Friedman compares a Detroit bailout to backing "mail-order-catalogue business on the eve of the birth of eBay...pouring billions of dollars into the CD music business on the eve of the birth of the iPod and iTunes...pouring billions of dollars into a book-store chain on the eve of the birth of Amazon.com and the Kindle...pouring billions of dollars into improving typewriters on the eve of the birth of the PC and the Internet."

Friedman pushes the electric car network concept and business model of Better Place.

As usual, he's right. Let's resist bailing out the Detroit automakers without flushing the current leadership. These people have behaved foolishly for many years, and still cannot understand what they've done wrong, what Japanese and German carmakers have done right, and what is needed for the future. Too little, too late, too foolish, too arrogant. Let's give 'em the bum's rush.