A little update to my first post a few days ago on this event.
I guess it was all meant as a funny little joke….ha ha ha
The No. 2 U.S. automaker has apologised after [Ford CEO Alan] Mulally said his claim that he had intervened to prevent U.S. President George W. Bush from plugging an electrical cord into the hydrogen tank of an experimental Ford vehicle had been meant as a joke.
On Wednesday, White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said, “The story wasn’t accurate, and I’ll just decline to comment further.”…
Ford said Mulally’s anecdote had been inspired by a video spoof featured on ABC-TV’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live” talk show that suggested Bush blew himself up by plugging the cord in the wrong outlet.
“I tried to tell a joke about it and proved I am no Jimmy Kimmel,” Mulally said in a statement that was released to Reuters on Wednesday. “It never occurred to me that it would get such wide play or be taken seriously.”…
“He just meant it as a joke. He kind of embellished the whole thing,” Hoyt said. “There was no danger whatsoever.”
Sure thing, all one big joke.
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“Ford spokesman Tom Hoyt said Mulally thought Kimmel’s joke was funny and showed it to several Ford officials before his remarks to reporters.”
I guess Boeing dodged a bullet when they passed on this guy for their next CEO. He always had a reputation for competence, but it looks like he suffers from the need to be perceived as cool by the media by bashing Bush – while he is trying to get the Administration to support Ford’s new car program. Great CEO-level judgement there, Alan.
Perhaps Alan Mulally, and all his joke-vetting “officals”, should get their asses back to the work they are paid to do at Ford, and quit trying out for the next vacancy on “The View”.