Recession makes strange bedfellows in car-emissions debate

What a difference two years make.

Before the US auto industry came crashing down and received government aid, two Democratic lawmakers from Michigan – Sen. Carl Levin and Rep. John Dingell – were fierce in their opposition to stringent, all-encompassing car-emissions legislation. Way back then, The New York Times wrote that Representative Dingell and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi were “on a collision course” over such a law.

Now? When President Obama outlined his plans for tighter limits on vehicle emissions this morning, three former combatants were nestled close: Speaker Pelosi, Dingell, and Senator Levin. One can only imagine what was going through the minds of the Michigan lions when Mr. Obama came over for a terse handshake.

– Monitor correspondent Jeremy Kutner contributed this post.