During the presidential campaign, Sen. John McCain delivered some "straight talk" to a gathering in Michigan, a state hard hit by the downturn in the car industry.

"Some of the jobs that have left the state of Michigan are not coming back. They are not. And I am sorry to tell you that," he said in Grand Rapids on Jan. 10, 2008.

Then-Democratic candidate Barack Obama ripped the Arizona Republican for the declaration, but 18 months later, Mr. Obama told supporters in Warren, Mich., the very same thing.

"The hard truth is that some of the jobs that have been lost in the auto industry and elsewhere won't be coming back," Mr. Obama said on Wednesday, according to prepared remarks released by the White House.

"They are casualties of a changing economy. And that only underscores the importance of generating new businesses and industries to replace the ones we've lost, and of preparing our workers to fill the jobs they create," Mr. Obama says in the remarks.

And he should know: With the federal takeover of General Motors, Mr. Obama is the top auto CEO in the country.

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