GM-CHRYSLER . . . A "JUNKYARD ROMANCE?"

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Following the conventional wisdom of "Autoextremist" and others, Jerry Flint pans the prospects and wisdom of a GM-Chrysler merger.

Flint seems to be doing the bidding of Carlos Ghosn. He opines that a "Renault Alliance" with Chrysler is a better idea than the apparent game of chicken going on between Cerberus (GMAC & Chrysler) and General Motors. But given Nissan & Renault's cutbacks, the future of such a pairing might be dim.

A GM-Chrysler merger probably isn't as horrible as Flint depicts it. But it would be a historic challenge to pull off without fumbling.

Too bad Cerberus Capital can't or won't "part out" the good parts of Chrysler. Buying Jeep, the Hemi, the minivan operations, Chrysler's half of the GM-Chrysler electric hybrid automatic, and the RWD car designs from Chrysler is probably cheaper than starting from scratch.

If someday all that's left in the American mass market is a bland assortment of FWDs from Korea, Japan and China (albeit some will probably be screwed together in low-wage Southern assembly plants--even if Obama and the Democrats kill the secret ballot in union elections), we will all regret the day when we -- as consumers, auto executives, politicians, investors, bankers, union leaders, and as a nation -- killed Detroit.