President Obama visits the Detroit area on Friday, and his timing couldn't be better: Today's Detroit Free Press brings more good news from the auto industry:

General Motors, Ford and Chrysler all plan to add jobs in Michigan, which stands to benefit more than any other state. Nissan, BMW, Honda, Toyota, Kia and Mercedes-Benz also are hiring. Suppliers are looking to add engineers and technical people, but at a more gradual pace.

About 15,000 auto-related Michigan jobs could be created this year, said Sean McAlinden, economist at Ann Arbor's Center for Automotive Research. That would double the jobs added from 2009 to 2011.

I noticed that Politfact criticized President Obama for boasting about the GM/Chrysler rescue during the State of the Union. That’s absurd.

Everybody who follows the industry acknowledges that growth at GM and Chrysler reflects a variety of factors, including weakness from Japanese competitors following last year’s tsunami. But everybody who follows the industry also acknowledges that the entire domestic industry – not just GM and Chrysler, but possibly Ford and the massive, sprawling network of parts makers that supply the companies – could have collapsed if Obama hadn’t acted.

Keep in mind that most Republicans, including the one most likely to become the party's presidential nominee, opposed using federal dollars to help the auto industry. Keep in mind that polls showed the public, already tired of bailouts and not all that fond of unions, was strongly against the move.

In other words, it was not only the right thing to do: It was also the politically courageous thing to do. That gives Obama some bragging rights.