Nancy Pelosi, the House speaker, described the $14bn lifeline to the US auto industry as “tough love”. It may not be tough enough to satisfy opponents in the less Detroit-friendly Senate, who may want to demonstrate that the ones we love are those we generally hurt the most.

General Motors and Chrysler claim they need almost immediate cash infusions to keep their companies running, although this would be well before the point at which they have nothing left in the till. GM, for example, requires at least $11bn in working capital and some suppliers have started to ask (so far unsuccessfully) for cash payment upfront. Prolonged political jockeying could see these reserves, which would be valuable in a Chapter 11 reorganisation, evaporate. At least the threat of a presidential veto is now gone as advisers to George W. Bush shrewdly put their weight behind a smaller package that would make Detroit the problem of Barack Obama. Other issues remain though. One is a threatened filibuster, which could be countered only with the help of numerous Republican defectors. Another is the possibility that the Senate will modify the bill, forcing potentially lengthy “conference” deliberations with the House. Ms Pelosi raised the stakes by saying that the House would not reconvene to discuss a modified bill. The Senate minority leader’s opposition and potential support for a stricter bill would then create stalemate.