In the summer of 2001 there was quite a stir in the museum community as the Smithsonian announced it was considering taking a large sum of money from General Motors and would give GM naming rights to the Institute's "Transportation Hall." A lot of that debate was soon overshadowed by the events of 9/11 just a couple of months later.

I never heard how that all resolved itself, but it was safe to say that if the Smithsonian accepted then they may be finding themselves in a particularly sticky rendition of "He who pays the piper calls the tune." It's always a problem in the world of non-profits and I never envy the museum executives who find themselves faced with the dilemma.

That being said, it isn't a given that GM asked for the exhibit to be yanked. The timing could be **cough** **cough** coincidental. But, in light of the timing and of the current dialogue about hybrid cars and climate change and fuel efficiency, then at the very least this particular statement is worthy of a good eye-roll or two:

A museum spokeswoman says the museum simply needed the space to display another vehicle, a high-tech SUV.

Let's hope the high-tech SUV has indeed begun to make its way from the highway to the museum floor.

Indeed, corporations can rewrite anything. Classic story right there.

Check this out. I thought the one titled "Energy" was a bogus SNL commercial when I first saw it.

http://streams.cei.org/