I'll admit that I think national security justifications used by politicians are often quite lacking in substance. From an economic perspective, we need to thi

I'll admit that I think national security justifications used by politicians are often quite lacking in substance. From an economic perspective, we need to think about what our economy is "good at". Generally speaking, when there is demand for something, the economy successfully figures out how to supply it. With bailouts, there is very little demand for the expertise needed to package and re-sell parts of failed companies to the highest bidder. If Ford had been allowed to fail, perhaps Tesla could have purchased crucial IP or hired entire teams. The legacy of Henry Ford's entrepreneurship is not the Ford name, it's in the firm's unique business acumen and many years of experience creating excellence. If the larger business (effectively a holding company) called "Ford" fails, the sub-units still have significant value, and the world is better off if that value can be utilized by more capable managers in other firms. The bailout of Ford effectively punished Tesla, punished consumers, and even punished employees, since their lot is largely a function of the wisdom of those formulating the strategy, something that Ford did poorly enough that it deserved to fail.