To hear Sen. Barack Obama tell it, his speech to the Detroit Economic Club last May pitching tougher fuel-economy standards was a Daniel-in-the-lion's-den moment, one that he has replayed for crowds from Oregon to North Carolina.
"I went to Detroit and told the automakers that they're going to have to raise fuel-efficiency standards on cars," the Democratic presidential front-runner told an Indianapolis audience earlier this month. "And I have to say that when I delivered that speech, nobody clapped. The room was really quiet. But that's OK, because that's part of what is the task of the next president."
The Illinois senator's retelling of his story has a few flourishes. While Obama has repeatedly said "nobody clapped" and that his message was met with silence, the record from that speech from the Detroit Economic Club tells a different story. Obama won at least mild applause several times from the crowd of 2,000.
