Did the White House have advance knowledge of the Super Bowl ad starring Clint Eastwood that trumpeted the return of the American auto industry?
"It was news to me when I saw it," White House press secretary Jay Carney told reporters on Monday about the two-minute Chrysler advertisement that quieted many rowdy Super Bowl events on Sunday.
The uplifting spot could be used as inspiration for a President Obama reelection ad, many have noted, as it touted the rebound of Chrysler and other car companies—something for which the White House has taken credit.
"The people in Detroit ... almost lost everything," Eastwood says in the ad. "But we all pulled together. Now Motor City is fighting again."
While he wouldn't say directly whether he was pleased with the ad, Carney said it "does point out a simple fact, which is that the automobile industry was on its back and potentially poised to liquidate three years ago and this president made decisions that were not very popular at the time."
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