Obama's foreign policy applied to auto marketing

Kaus takes apart an Obama administration schill's (Lutz) analysis of why green cars will save GM: the example of how the "Halo effect" of the Prius was the "primary reason" for Toyota's success.  

several reasons for Toyota's ascendancy, none more important than becoming the darling of media analysts
and environmentalists in the wake of its seminal hybrid, the Prius ...

This is really too much.  But there is a sort of logic to it.  They people that believe having the approval of people like themselves will motivate dictators in North Korea and Iran to give up their ambitions apparently believe that the same cause will motivate American consumers to give up their money.  The belief in the efficacy of the Mandarinate's approval is the common thread to all they do.