Unlike President Bush whose approval ratings are dismal, President-elect Barack Obama has received high approval for how well he is transitioning to the White House. A recent USA Today/Gallop poll shows that 78% approve of his transition work. And Obama is picking up favor among Democrats, Republicans and Independents for his Secretary of State choice, Hillary Clinton (69% approval rate) and his decision to keep Robert Gates as the Secretary of Defense (whopping 80% approval rate). Let’s see if these approvals maintain while the folks are in office.

And can you believe that a small county in Alabama created a Barack Obama holiday? Yes, it’s true. Alabama’s Perry County will observe the second Monday in November as “The Barack Obama Day.” The county’s offices will close and its 40 employees will have a paid holiday. “The sponsoring commissioner, Albert Turner Jr., said the holiday is meant to highlight the Democratic president-elect’s victory as a way to give people faith that difficult goals can be achieved.”

And more bad news for automakers… According to the Associated Press, General Motors’ sales dropped 41 percent in November and Ford’s sales also fell 31 percent last month. It appears that the U.S. automakers may need that bailout after all. GM, Ford and Chrysler pleaded for more than $38 billion dollars of government assistance including loans Tuesday. The companies are now asking for more than the $25 billion they requested two weeks ago and state they don’t have a Plan B. An intervention of some sort is predicted based on House Speaker Pelosi recent remarks.

Yet, American car companies financial worries are not alone. Toyota and Honda also saw their sales plunge in November, 34 and 32 percent respectively. With the economy in a recession and consumer confidence in the tank, it’s no wonder people aren’t buying cars - even with crazy low gas prices which hit a three-year low Tuesday.  And Chrysler’s CEO is warning that an automaker industry failure could send the country into the dreaded D-word: a depression.

One Bush leaving Capitol Hill and another one coming in? Possibly. Jeb Bush, the former Florida governor and younger brother of Pres. Bush, is considering running for Republican Mel Martinez’ Senate Seat, according to an email exchange between Bush and Politico. Martinez said he will not seek reelection on Tuesday.

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