So long as TARP money is wrapped up in GM, the company will never shake its 'Government Motors' image. That label, as competitors and GM employees are keenly aware, is code for one thing: 'GM is a failure.'

My goal in coming to General Motors was to help restore profitability, build a strong market position and position this iconic company for success. We are clearly on that path.

TARP is funded by taxpayers, so there are many rules about how that money can and can't be used. The result: GM spends an awful lot of time checking in with the people who administer TARP over everything from hiring to executive compensation and management. For a global company, that adds up to a lot of distraction.

This transaction ? will transform us from a regional company to a new kind of company that uses its premiere networks to focus on 'national-local' and global markets,

I am honored to be able to serve GM at this critical juncture and take part in its reinvention.

The one thing I will never do is become pigeonholed.