C-J trying to keep Bush off their side

The C-J editorialists have some bizarre statements in "Bush's Lifeline" this morning...

President Bush doubtless would have rather been almost anywhere else doing almost anything else -- even ducking shoes in Iraq -- than to be in Washington last week coughing up $17.4 billion in federal loans to keep General Motors and Chrysler afloat long enough to become the next president's problem.

Nonetheless, Mr. Bush was right to set aside his strong ideological resistance to such aid and provide enough help to prevent an imminent collapse of the two carmakers.

Huh? Strong ideological resistance? What?! That's rip-a-gut hilarious! Bush has rarely shied away from government spending-- and never on this sort of thing. Since the C-J'ers want this one, I can understand why they would want to try to distance themselves from Bush.

Whatever they decide, however, they should reject congressional Republicans' determination to misuse the auto industry's problems as a tool for union-busting.

Uhh, you can keep your labor market cartel (since it's not seen, somehow, as a violation of anti-trust law). You just need to reduce your compensation and pensions-- instead of foisting those on taxpayers.

...the companies are failing....That is not the union's doing; it's a reflection of bad decisions, weak leadership and missed opportunities on the part of management.

Nope, the labor unions have nothing to do with it at all. If union members are not getting artificially high compensation-- and thus, driving up costs-- why have the union at all?