Obama says GM's woes a "sober reminder"

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama said on Tuesday that the General Motors Corp restructuring was a "sober reminder" of the economy's difficulties.

He said U.S. automakers were crucial to the economy's success and that he had confidence GM and the others would thrive under the right policies.

"When a mainstay of the American economy is forced to make a restructuring decision like the one General Motors is announcing today, it is a sober reminder of the difficult economic times we're facing and of why we need change and a new direction in Washington," Obama said in statement.

(Reporting by Caren Bohan and Kim Dixon; editing by John Wallace)