Obama: "Oh, tires, no big deal. The Chinese will hardly even notice. Besides, what's annoying a bunch of foreigners compared to helping unions screw the US consumer?"
China: F*** you Obama!!! Or, in more diplomatic language (direct from the Chinese government web portal):

Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Jiang Yu's Remarks on US Announcement to Impose Special Safeguard Measures on Tire Imports from China 2009/09/14
Q: The US Government has lately announced that it will impose special protectionist tariffs on tire imports from China. How do you comment?
A: We are strongly dissatisfied and resolutely opposed to the US decision on September 11 to impose special safeguard measures on passenger vehicle tire imports from China despite China's solemn position. The US decision, an abuse of trade remedies and a practice of grave trade protectionism, breached its commitments at the G-20 Financial Summit. It will not only hurt bilateral economic cooperation and trade between China and the US, but also affect an early recovery of the world economy. China has made solemn representations to the US and reserves all rights to take responsive actions.

Obama would rather be all buddy-buddy with his union supporters, even at the cost of a major trade war with China. Does anyone think the matter is going to go away quietly without further escalation?