CAUSE AND EFFECT. Chicago Tribune automobile columnist Jim Mateja says more than he intends, in making a case for federal succor for the legacy car companies.

Chrysler, which so adroitly plied the bailout waters 30 years ago, is not such a sure thing. It has the least to offer in new technology or product and has the smallest global footprint, which means it can't rely on subsidiaries in foreign countries with less intensive labor costs to help them out like GM and Ford can.

That's despite all the bragging from the Pentastar in the early 1980s about repaying the loan early. Advantage, Cold Spring Shops.

Then comes this backhanded compliment.

For years, GM, Ford and Chrysler have been closing the perception gap with import brands. You need look no further than the most recent J.D. Power study of owner satisfaction three years after buying a car to see the results. Mercury and Cadillac finished second and third to Lexus.

That alone should be enough for Congress to make the pain, rather than the domestic auto industry, go away.

Play to the parvenus, Mr Mateja. Advantage, Cold Spring Shops.