“Substantial doubt,” say auditors at Deloitte & Touche. They’ve been studying GMs figures. The numbers make them wonder whether the automaker can continue as a “going concern.”

Here at The Daily Reckoning, we’ve got substantial doubt about a number of things.

As to GM, we share the auditors’ concern. The world is full of car factories. Most of them can make cars better, faster, and cheaper than GM. Meanwhile, demand for autos is not growing as quickly as the global growth in auto-making capacity – especially in America. Not that we’re trying to pass judgment. Let the Mr. Market do that!

But GM has friends in high places…ready to lean on the scales of Mr. Market’s justice. The automaker has already borrowed $13.4 billion. It is asking for another $30 billion. But what kind of a dope would lend $30 billion to a company whose own auditors say they’re worried

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Wells Fargo & Co. (WFC) Friday agreed to buy all of Wachovia Corp. (WB) for about $15 billion in stock, however, Citigroup Inc. (C), which had already agreed to buy Wachovia’s banking operations, immediately issued a protest that could jeopardize the deal. “Citi has substantial legal rights regarding Wachovia and this transaction,” Citi said in a statement. “Wachovia’s agreement to a transaction with Wells Fargo is in clear breach of an exclusivity agreement between Citi and Wachovia.” Wells Fargo’s $15 billion, or $7 a share, all-in bid easily trumps Citigroup’s $2.16 billion, or $1 per share, offer for Wachovia’s deposits, loan portfolio, and retail banking branches. The Citigroup offer did not include Wachovia’s A.G. Edwards brokerage unit or Evergreen mutual fund family. “It provides superior value compared to the previous offer to acquire ...