The key to saving the U.S. car industry apparently pivots on selecting a hard-nosed "car czar."

One suggestion is auto legend Lee Iococco who supposedly turned Chrysler around in the '70s by producing the ugliest, least-dependable mini-vans outside of Yugoslavia. That the inventor of the K-car is favored by Detroit's car makers as car czar shows how out of touch they truly are.

A better choice being batted around is Mitt Romney. Supporters say genetically speaking, Mitt's ready to rock and roll because his dad George ran American Motors successfully. (I'm not sure about that — how many of you have seen a Rambler outside a car museum?) Still, Wired figures Romney's got what it takes:

He's a skilled businessman who rescued the 2002 Winter Olympics from a fiscal morass; he's a former governor with loads of experience dealing with big bureaucracies; and he's familiar with the auto industry because his father led American Motors. Romney suggested in a New York Times op-ed that Detroit be allowed to go bankrupt, so you know he'll play hardball.

I've got a much better suggestion: Utah's own Larry H. Miller. Larry has proven business sense — everything he touches, from autos to entertainment to land development, turns into greenbacks. He knows car brands — and their shortcomings — he sells lots of Toyotas and collects and drives Shelby Cobras.

And Larry knows how to deal with knuckleheads — negotiating with big babies like Karl Malone made sure of that — so a few glorified Detroit car salesmen aren't going to intimidate him.

Finally, if playing hard ball with the auto industry's Big Three didn't work — Larry would just start bawling. Works every time.