Politics | auto industry Was Obama Tough Enough? By Kevin Spak Posted Mar 31, 2009 8:57 AM CDT Copied President Barack Obama makes remarks about the American automotive industry, Monday, March 30, 2009, in the Grand Foyer of the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Ron Edmonds) Barack Obama gave GM and Chrysler some tough love yesterday. Too tough, or too much love? Here’s what the papers are saying: Obama “delivered a believable, sharp, and necessary ultimatum,” says the Washington Post. He rightly demanded union concessions, and put bankruptcy back on the table. But the Chicago Tribune thinks Obama should have gone straight to bankruptcy. “An ultimatum is more believable if you haven't just failed to follow through on a previous one.” Obama has put Detroit “on a new road of politicized industrial policy,” says the Wall Street Journal, and should have chosen bankruptcy instead. “From now on, GM and Chrysler are Mr. Obama's companies.” But bankruptcy isn’t a blanket solution, the Detroit Free Press opines. Just because a judge could tear up worker benefits doesn’t mean it should, and no judge can unilaterally make GM or Chrysler clean car kings—that takes changes in tax and regulatory policies, too. Read These Next Game 3 of the World Series took a historically long time to wrap up. Bill Gates wants less 'doomsday' talk on climate change. Cruise passenger, reportedly left behind on island, is found dead. Monstrous Hurricane Melissa makes landfall in Jamaica. Report an error