"It's them again," said the communications secretary outside the Oval Office. "It sounds like Bing himself this time. What should I say?"
For a week West Wing staffers had been making excuces for President Barack Obama every time Detroit Mayor David Bing calls.
"I don't know. Make something up. Say I'm in the Situation Room or something," said President Obama. "But whatever, I'm still not here."
When he heard about the bankruptcy, President Obama knew he'd be hearing from Mayor Bing.
After a week of thought, the president still has no solution.
"They're going to bring up the bailouts of the auto industry, the banks, even Christmas," said Obama. "And they're right. But Detroit's clearly a losing bet."