It was smart to address this, because the wingnut echo chamber in talk radio is pushing the idea that "fascist" Obama wants to take over and run more private industries:

WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama said he wants to get the government out of the private sector as fast as possible -- but that as long as his administration is acting as a major shareholder for large sectors of American commerce, from cars to finance, he won't hesitate to shape decisions at those firms.

President Barack Obama speaks during a news conference marking his 100th day in office in the East Room at the White House on Wednesday.

In his most extensive public comments to date on the principles guiding government-ownership stakes, Mr. Obama said at a news conference Wednesday that "I don't think that we should micromanage." But he added that, in the name of protecting taxpayer dollars, the government would help troubled companies make "tough decisions based on realistic assumptions."

"Like any investor, the American taxpayer has the right to scrutinize what's being proposed," he said at news conference marking his 100th day in office. "I don't know how to create [an] affordable, well-designed, plug-in hybrid, but I know that if the Japanese can...then doggone it, the American people should be able to do the same."

[...] In addressing the government's role in the private sector, Mr. Obama said his administration had no choice but to step in as the financial and auto sectors were collapsing and that "our first role should be shareholders that are looking to get out."

"I don't want to run auto companies. I don't want to run banks. I've got two wars I've got to run already. I've got more than enough to do. So the sooner we can get out of that business, the better off we're going to be," he said. "I want to disabuse people of this notion that somehow we enjoy, you know, meddling in the private sector."