After just five months on the job, President Obama’s “Car Czar,” Steven Rattner, is quitting. An administration official gives Politico this terse explanation: “He determined that this was the right decision for him and his family at this time.” His replacement, a six-figure official with the Steelworkers’ Union named Ron Bloom, is already waiting in the wings. It sounds like a firing, but if the GM and Chrysler deals turn out poorly, Rattner will probably be happy he’s already gone.

Bloom’s relevant experience appears to be negotiating for unions with troubled companies, and so it would be useful to know his approach. Thanks to an old Time magazine collection of quotes, here it is: