Taking Charge:  The question tonight -- at least as it pertains to the staggering economy -- is whether or not the inauguration is just a formality. Is Barack Obama already the de facto economic commander-in-chief?. Our fifth story on the Countdown, illustrated by two schedules of two Presidents. The 44th, holding his third news conference on the economy in as many days... The 43rd, in his only official act of the day -- pardoning a turkey.

Terror in Mumbai: It began around 10 o'clock at night... coordinated attacks throughout one of the world's major cities... gunmen ran into a busy train station... two hotels... a popular restaurant... an airport, two hospitals... and they attacked the police head-on... killing three top officials, including the state's anti-terrorism chief... and at least 79 more. Hundreds more wounded, including, a U-S official tells NBC... one American, "seriously injured." Our fourth story tonight, unknown terrorists, and a world financial capital under seige... Mumbai, India, the historic city once known as Bombay.

ODDBALL: Civil war dinosaurs, and a drunk guy drives over his own leg.

Pain and Suffereing:  This is not that complicated. A) The Bush Administration has acknowledged it water-boarded some terror detainees. B) Even John McCain acknowledged that water-boarding is torture. Therefore, C) The Bush Administration tortured people. But in a flabbergasting irony, because the Administration cannot accept that irrefutable chain of logic, the President is not believed likely to issue sweeping pardons for those who authorized or did the torturing. On the other hand, the Obama Administration... may not prosecute them. Our third story on the Countdown...Our nightly question to the President-Elect: What do we do now...when it comes to torture? 
 
Worsties...see below.

WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD:  LaDonna Hale Curzon, Andrew Ross Sorkin and The New York Times, and Glenn Beck vie for tonight's top honors.

What a Turkey:   Sometimes the politically bizarre is so bizarre, that even political satirists need some time to recover, and get back to the serious business of satire. Such it is, tonight, as Slate finally marries the Sarah Palin Turkey Atrocity Video to such things as nuclear holocaust, the movie Carrie, and Dan Aykroyd portraying Julia Child as an accident victim. Our number one story on the Countdown: that bit of brilliance, ahead. First, the continuing bizarre-ness of reality. Fresh from his pardon of Leslie Owen Collier -- who killed three bald eagles in 1995..President Bush today did not try to top Palin's almost-out-of-body experience... But he did do the turkey-pardon thing anyway.

"Done Deal":   The man whose campaign for president began with the idea that he alone among the major candidates... stood *against the invasion of Iraq... Will be keeping* President Bush's War Chief... as his own.  Our fifth story on the Countdown: Sources telling three different news organizations -- including this one -- that Robert Gates will remain as Secretary of Defense... for at least a year.

Dollars and Sense:  "Eliminate programs we don't need"and "Reduce the deficit"... Our fourth story on the Countdown: We might indeed only have one President at a time... But the new guy is evidently capable of having more than one news conference a year... and more than one economic goal at a time.

ODDBALL: Toolbag spotted, and a guy jumps a gorge

Mac Is Back:   John McCain's first news conference since his presidential election loss three weeks ago... And in our third story on the Countdown... the campaign may be over but the problems are not... Like people having forgotten what he does for a living. It wasn't just that reporters had almost as many questions about Sarah Palin as they did about him...  It was also the subtle indications that, already, the media response to McCain is becoming... you ran for who of the what-now? Like this one.

Worsties...see below.

WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD:  Katon Dawson, Mark Williams, and Dick Morris of Faux News vie for tonight's top honors.

Stopping Prop 8:   Three weeks ago tonight California voters approved Proposition Eight, banning further same-sex marriages in that state. But tonight, indications that after protests and pleas... if the vote were to be taken tomorrow... Prop-Eight... would be defeated. Our number one story on the Countdown: the push-back on Prop Eight... in the courts...perhaps in the next election... and, evidently -- in the hearts.

Renewed Deal:  The phrase was "hit the ground running." The Obama Economic Team is not yet eligible to hit the ground... But despite the proprietor's insistence that the nation only has one president at a time... In our fifth story on the Countdown, it sure feels like that team is running...Running the response to the financial crisis."

Courting Clinton:  What makes you take a new job when you already have a great one? What is the decider, when the old Ernie Kovacs' observation is true: The Money Means Nothing -- The Money Is Nothing, Therefore The Money Means Nothing? Our fourth story on the Countdown:  Often, it comes down to access -- and your own staff. Ask Secretary Of State Designate Rumoree Hillary Clinton... who has that imaginary title again after reported "personal assurances" from her would-be boss. And then there are successors for all these relocating Senators -- the one in Delaware, chosen tonight.

ODDBALL: A KO political mailer and a robot obstacle course.

More Leftovers:  So last week I'm on this deserted island, see? And there's one television and really wobbly internet, so I get this equivalent of, like, a ship-to-shore message: Governor Palin pardoned a Thanksgiving turkey... But she did it while she was standing in front of a... uh... a turkey-rendering device. Our third story on the Countdown: I haven't seen the tape yet. No, seriously. Came back Saturday, worked football yesterday. I heard some of it -- it sounded like the second-worst political photo-op of all-time -- but I thought, well, if I'm going to watch it, let's try something different. I'll watch it, for the first time, in front of people who've already seen it. You.  So with the warning that we're not blurring anything and you might want to get the kids out of the room, to say nothing of the justifiably-offended... And the additional warning that I may signal to stop the tape at any moment by making the time-out gesture or shouting "freeze it!"...Let her -- as it were -- rip.

Worsties...see below.

WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD: Mark Halperin, Joe the Independent Senator and Bill-O vie for tonight's top honors.

It's a Keith Thing:  At a popular well-known left-wing website...Most opinion polls, no matter the subject, include an extra option: "Pie." At the same site, the ramblings of somebody trying to trash the prevalent philosophy, is greeted by the posting of... food recipes. Our number one story on the Countdown: I spent my morning... making pies... desperately trying to follow recipes recited by... Martha Stewart. It was kind of like being asked to get behind the wheel of one of the racers at the Indianapolis 500. And I don't drive.

Team Obama:  It's official...At least unofficially so. In our fifth story on the Countdown: Senator Hillary Clinton has decided to accept the job of Secretary of State... With no official announcement from President-elect Obama... until after Thanksgiving... Or so we hear.

Market Force:  Perhaps second only to the intrigue over all things Hillary Clinton is the urgency of the global financial meltdown. And, what -- if anything -- can be done to cauterize the crisis. NBC News has learned that President-elect Obama, in an effort to reassure markets...Is planning a Monday roll-out of his proposed economic team. In our fourth story on the Countdown... An answer to the nightly question about the Obama transition: What do we do now...?
 
ODDBALL: The Bush snub is debunked, fire in the sky and bras for dudes.

Leaks Mundy:: Back in the days of the Obama campaign, when reporters wanted to know Obama's thinking, how much money he raised, so on... here's what an Obama leak sounded like...(crickets)

Late Call: If David Letterman was going to forget to ask the most obvious question of CBS anchor Katie Couric... too bad he didn't have the excuse that it was, actually, late. In our number two story on the Countdown, the "Late Show" is, of course, taped about 5:30 in the evening. And that helped create the original issue in the first place

Tuekey Leftovers:  Breaking news in the Governor Sarah Palin Turkey-Pardon Interview Fiasco... A denial of wattle-gate proportions. Remember: We've blurred the graphic moments... but you may want to send small children... to another room.

Transition Takes Shape: Perhaps you've heard... Just maybe...Word seems to have gotten out... That Senator Hillary Clinton is under consideration to be Mister Obama's Secretary of State. Unless -- in our fifth story on the Countdown -- the fact that nearly every detail about the vetting process, so far, has been leaked to the media may have already derailed her chances... Or -- instead -- Senator Clinton simply might not want the job. Both are said to be possible scenarios tonight.

3 Car Pile-up:  Congress today sacked a plan to pass an auto industry bailout before Thanksgiving. But it doesn't mean a rescue package is entirely off the table...  In our fourth story on the Countdown...Instead of handing the Big Three a big fat check, law-makers gave them holiday homework.

ODDBALL: A smokestack goes down, the world's longest surfboard, and

Barack and a Hard Place: Every night until the inauguration of President Barack Obama, Countdown is asking the question, What Do We Do Now? But in tonight's number-three story, on one particular subject, Iraq, we have been asking the question, "What Do We Do Now?"... since before the inauguration of President Bush. Subsequent events, of course, rendered the question a little more urgent.

Stevens Swan Song: He's still officially a United States Senator until January 6th when the 111th congress gets sworn in. But in our second story on the Countdown - for all intents and purposes - Alaska's senior Senator has now figuratively - left the building.

Gobble Gobble:  To the top of the Countdown - and breaking News out of Alaska. It's turkey pardon time - Palin style. Governor Sarah Palin -travelling to the Triple D Farm and Hatchery in her very own hometown of Wasilla to officially pardon a turkey. The press event started well.. Sorta

Ms. Secretary?:  Yes, she will. According to a report from Politico dot-com.  Unfortunately, that's not the the only indication we have on whether Clinton will accept the position. Maybe she won't... says this report... from Politico dot-com, as well as the New York Times and Clinton vets Joe Lockhart and George Stephanopoulos. But first in our number-five story tonight, let's get to today's signal flare over Washington... Obama's red flag that he won't mess around when it comes to overhauling American health care.

Al Qaeda v. Obama:  The number two leader of al Qaida has confronted President-Elect Obama with a new audio-video message... It's the first salvo from the group's propaganda operation since the election...  And it comes just days after Obama told 60 Minutes that one of his major focuses would be capturing or killing Osama Bin Laden. In our fourth story on the Countdown...the nightly question about the Obama transition... What do we do now...? And now with Al Qaeda back in the headlines again.

ODDBALL: Gene Simmons from the NYSE and tools in space.

Senior Issues:  He was a Republican stalwart of the Senate. The longest continuous serving Senator - in Washington for four decades. And yet, in our third story on the Countdown, tonight Senator Ted Stevens of Alaska is officially out of a job. Meaning there are now 56 Democratic members of the Senate. Which , together with the independent caucus votes of Senators Lieberman and Sanders -puts the party just two seats away from a filibuster proof majority.

Pirate Problems: For all the Bush administration's concern that Al Qaeda poses the biggest threat to the U-S supply of oil.. Tonight, there's a new enemy to consider. One that has been largely ignored by the government. Until now. Our second story on the Countdown: Pirates, holding ships and tankers hostage off the coast of Somalia..

Motor Mouths:  In our number one story on the Countdown... How can we ever miss you, if you won't shut up. Or -- put another way -- why don't you at least consider shutting up... since talking only makes things worse? The you in question? Governor Sarah Palin... Joe the Plumber... And yes, even the ex-call girl, Ashley Dupree. Good grief.

How a Bill Becomes a...:  No, Hillary Clinton is not yet one of those names, but there is movement on that front. In our fifth story tonight, however, we begin with another milestone... Obama's choice for attorney general, Eric Holder, who sources tell NBC News has accepted the job, will be the first african american to hold the post, if he is confirmed. Holder served as deputy attorney general during the Clinton administration and reportedly had reservations about accepting Obama's offer, due to concerns that the confirmation process.

Joe the Chairman:  Joe Lieberman gets to keep his his gavel.  So say his colleagues in the Senate Democratic caucus, who voted overwhelmingly to let him stay put as Chairman of the Homeland Security Committee. In our fourth story on the Countdown... As recently as yesterday, the Senator's fate was still up in the air.

ODDBALL: A godzilla tree, can a man outrun a domino and the most expensive ceiling in the world.

Resurrecting the Republicans:  It's a question Countdown has been asking of President-Elect Barack Obama every night since he won the White House. What do we do now? Tonight - in our third story - we switch that question's focus.. To ask it of the losing party in this election.

New Vote Count in AK: 2,374. Our second story on the Countdown - that's how much incumbent Republican Senator - and convicted felon - Ted Stevens is currently trailing democratic challenger Mark Begitch in Alaska. With almost all the votes counted.

O-some:  The expectation of all-time record-breaking crowds. The scalping of tickets that don't yet exist. And the kind of preparation and hype... the likes of which Washington D-C has never before seen. In our number one story on the Countdown: when Barack Obama takes the oath of office as President of the United States, he will bring along the luster -- and the burden -- of his rock star status.

Obama McCain Meet:  And the first day since November 4th that Mr. Obama and Senator John McCain have been in the same room, shaken hands, and looked each other in the eye. Mr. Obama is no longer Senator Obama, after his official resignation yesterday, asking the state of Illinois in a letter to, quoting Lincoln upon his departure for Washington, "confidently hope that all will yet be well."

Joe the Bummer:  Joe Lieberman's fate lies in the hands of his fellow Senate Democrats. Tomorrow, they will vote -- by secret ballot -- on whether or not to strip their colleague of his chairmanship of the Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee.  At issue, in our fourth story on the Countdown...

ODDBALL: Stan Lee gets a medal, a tree goes boom, and sauna slapping.

Tackling Torture:  It's been done before - for the noble reason of healing a divided country. A blanket pardon of nameless citizens. President Carter gave one to Vietnam draft-dodgers. President Jackson gave one to the Confederacy. President Washington gave one to the fighters in the 1794 Whiskey Rebellion. But, in our third story on the Countdown, what if President Bush follows suit - for a distinctly less than noble reason -  And pardons everyone involved in carrying out his policies on interrogation, torture and rendition? It begs another question - one that we will ask of President-Elect Obama nightly until his inauguration... What Do We Do Now?

Decision 2008:  Nearly two weeks after election day - not only are **three** Republican incumbent Senators still fighting for their political lives.. But thanks to recounts and potential court challenges - at least two of those races - if not all three - might not be over by the time the 111th congress convenes this January. Our second story on the Countdown - Decision 2008.... **continues**.

Berry Barry Bye:   When President-elect Barack Obama takes office, he may be looking forward to that family dog more than his own daughters are... Since he will have lost another constant -- and loyal -- companion... his Blackberry. In our number one story on the Countdown, that device will probably be jettisoned, for the sake of privacy and security. But life after the election offers a different kind of problem for Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska...If it's true that she might land a book deal for seven-million dollars.

Clinton for State:  As the bailout springs a leak and Governor Palin springs eternal, breaking news tonight. Our own Andrea Mitchell quoting two Obama advisors with what would be hands down the biggest leak of the transition or the campaign. That Obama's rival in the unprecedented battle for the Democratic nomination, Senator Hillary Clinton, is under consideration to become Secretary of State in the Obama Administration.

Balance of Power:  The prediction from a Republican pollster that Mark Begich will win Alaska and the possibility that the Georgia Senate race will be Obama versus McCain, the sequel.

ODDBALL: A special comment compilation courtesy 23/6.com

What do we do now?:  It was just six weeks ago that Congress green-lighted that $700 billion bailout of nation's failing financial firms. And now, six weeks later, Washington is trying to figure out what went wrong. Part B of that question posed today on Capitol Hill, as we will pose it to the President-elect each night until the inauguration - what do we do now?  Maybe it was simply announcing to a city full of lobbyists that $700 billion was available for the taking.  Or, that there were not enough strings attached to the handouts. Or, that no one was in charge.

Worst Person in the World: Steve Doocy, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and Governor Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota battle it out for top honors.

Jeepers Veepers: Here in the United States, Darth Vader must ultimately relinquish his power. And so it begins. With Vice President Dick Cheney meeting with his successor, the Vice President-elect, Joe Biden. And if Cheney is Darth, does that mean Biden is Obi Wan?

Alaskan Surprise: Breaking news: absentee ballots counted today in Alaska -- and they are not all counted -- have put Democrat Mark Begitch in front of Republican Senator Ted Stevens... by exactly three votes. One two three... That leads our 5th story on the Countdown tonight, along with Minnesota, and Georgia. Senator John McCain denounced Saxby Chambliss as "reprehensible" for his infamous 2002 ad showing the faces of his opponent, Max Cleeland, and Osama Bin Laden. That was then; this is tomorrow -- when, in advance of the Georgia runoff, McCain will campaign for... Saxby Chambliss. Because the word "Reprehensible" may start with the letters "R-e-p," but so does "Republican".
 
Not So Fast, Bushie:  You may have heard that President Bush got an early start on his last-minute regulatory changes... because incoming presidents can easily undo them if they're done after November first. You may have not heard... and Mr. Bush apparently hadn't, either... that an obscure little law could make it easy for Democrats to undo any last-minute Bush regulations enacted any time in the last six months of his presidency. As a wise man once said... pretty sneaky, sis! Diagonally! Our fourth story tonight, on Mr. Bush's attempts to extend his legacy, the question we will ask of Mr. Obama nightly until his inauguration... What Do We Do Now?

ODDBALL: Bigfoot the slug.

In the Year 2012:  Good evening...again.  It's still Wednesday, November 12th... And for the purposes of our third story on the Countdown, the number is one thousand, four hundred and fifty five....That would be the number of days until next presidential election on November sixth, 2012. Three years, 11 months, and 25 days for Republicans to clean up their act -- or the exact opposite -- before making another run at the White House.

Worsties...see below!

WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD: Bill-O,  traffic wardens of Hounslow, in England and Mark Foley

Campaign 2012:   To paraphrase the late great comic Bill Hicks... The self-aware world's reaction to Governor Sarah Palin is like the guy with the sore tooth -- can't stop touching it -- owwww, owww. Our number one story on the Countdown: Since her return to Alaska on Friday she's given interviews to...

-- The local NBC station...

-- Assembled state capitol reporters...

-- A CNN correspondent...

-- Greta Van Susteren...

-- Matt Lauer...

-- Wolf Blitzer...

-- And Larry King.

And each was an exclusive.

The only way she could be on television more often was if CBS started a series called "CSI Sarah Palin."

---

Thus, new interviews can be used to digest **old** inteviews.

In an exclusive interview, Matt Lauer asked her about... an exclusive interview with Katie Couric.

Transition Talk :  It was he who reminded the country we only have one president at a time. So what happens if -- on a vital point of economy policy -- the one who is but not for long, and the one who isn't but soon will be -- disagree? Our fifth story on the Countdown: with the auto industry now in as bad, if not worse, shape than Wall Street -- will it get a bailout, in time, if the Bush-Obama vote... is not unanimous.

You Say Dubai, I say Hello: Pop quiz, hotshot. George Bush just handed you two quagmires. On top of that, he piled Pakistan, Irahn, Syria, North Korea, Russia and China. Then he let India and other, smaller developing nations... get a nice fat head start on the 21st Century. The only up-side to the fact that he lost all of their respect... is the looming possibility he's helped screw up the atmosphere so badly, we'll all drown or burn to a crisp before their economies overwhelm you. So, in our fourth story, our nightly question until the inauguration, Mr. President-Elect: What Do We Do Now?
 
ODDBALL: Super Barry-O, the Obama toast and a dog that works for everyone.

Gift of Gab:  For a vice-presidential nominee who was notoriously reticent to be interviewed, it would at first blush seem to be an astonishing about-face. For a woman whose first career goal was SportsCenter -- maybe not so much. At least three different one-on-one national TV interviews (each them, by the way, an exclusive) and numerous press availabities -- all in the week since she returned to Alaska. Our third story on the Countdown -- Governor Sarah Palin talks. And talks. And talks.

Worsties...see below.

WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD: Bill-O,  John Hinderaker and a Georgia Congressman vie for tonight's top honors.

No Wire Hangers:   Spring cleaning has arrived early in the household of Governor Sarah Palin...Since as we told you earlier she is reportedly trying to figure out which clothes in her closet are left-overs from a lost campaign...And therefore property of the RNC. And... in our number one story on the Countdown... her father has helpfully advanced the story, by wondering -- out loud -- about the family's underwear. Joel McHale is our guest.  

Finally tonight as promised, a Special Comment on the passage, last week, of Proposition Eight in California, which rescinded the right of same-sex couples to marry, and tilted the balance on this issue, from coast to coast.

Some parameters, as preface. This isn't about yelling, and this isn't about politics, and this isn't really just about Prop-8.  And I don't have a personal investment in this: I'm not gay, I had to strain to think of one member of even my very extended family who is, I have no personal stories of close friends or colleagues fighting the prejudice that still pervades their lives.

And yet to me this vote is horrible. Horrible. Because this isn't about yelling, and this isn't about politics.

This is about the... human heart, and if that sounds corny, so be it.

If you voted for this Proposition or support those who did or the sentiment they expressed, I have some questions, because, truly, I do not... understand. Why does this matter to you? What is it to you? In a time of impermanence and fly-by-night relationships, these people over here want the same chance at permanence and happiness that is your option. They don't want to deny you yours. They don't want to take anything away from you. They want what you want -- a chance to be a little less alone in the world.

Only now you are saying to them -- no. You can't have it on these terms. Maybe something similar. If they behave. If they don't cause too much trouble.  You'll even give them all the same legal rights -- even as you're taking away the legal right, which they already had. A world around them, still anchored in love and marriage, and you are saying, no, you can't marry. What if somebody passed a law that said you couldn't marry?

I keep hearing this term "re-defining" marriage.

If this country hadn't re-defined marriage, black people still couldn't marry white people. Sixteen states had laws on the books which made that illegal... in 1967. 1967.

The parents of the President-Elect of the United States couldn't have married in nearly one third of the states of the country their son grew up to lead. But it's worse than that. If this country had not "re-defined" marriage, some black people still couldn't marry...black people. It is one of the most overlooked and cruelest parts of our sad story of slavery. Marriages were not legally recognized, if the people were slaves. Since slaves were property, they could not legally be husband and wife, or mother and child. Their marriage vows were different: not "Until Death, Do You Part," but "Until Death or Distance, Do You Part." Marriages among slaves were not legally recognized.

You know, just like marriages today in California are not legally recognized, if the people are... gay.

And uncountable in our history are the number of men and women, forced by society into marrying the opposite sex, in sham marriages, or marriages of convenience, or just marriages of not knowing -- centuries of men and women who have lived their lives in shame and unhappiness, and who have, through a lie to themselves or others, broken countless other lives, of spouses and children... All because we said a man couldn't marry another man, or a woman couldn't marry another woman. The sanctity of marriage. How many marriages like that have there been and how on earth do they increase the "sanctity" of marriage rather than render the term, meaningless?

What is this, to you? Nobody is asking you to embrace their expression of love. But don't you, as human beings, have to embrace... that love? The world is barren enough.

It is stacked against love, and against hope, and against those very few and precious emotions that enable us to go forward. Your marriage only stands a 50-50 chance of lasting, no matter how much you feel and how hard you work.

And here are people overjoyed at the prospect of just that chance, and that work, just for the hope of having that feeling.  With so much hate in the world, with so much meaningless division, and people pitted against people for no good reason, this is what your religion tells you to do? With your experience of life and this world and all its sadnesses, this is what your conscience tells you to do?

With your knowledge that life, with endless vigor, seems to tilt the playing field on which we all live, in favor of unhappiness and hate... this is what your heart tells you to do? You want to sanctify marriage? You want to honor your God and the universal love you believe he represents? Then Spread happiness -- this tiny, symbolic, semantical grain of happiness -- share it with all those who seek it. Quote me anything from your religious leader or book of choice telling you to stand against this. And then tell me how you can believe both that statement and another statement, another one which reads only "do unto others as you would have them do unto you."

---

You are asked now, by your country, and perhaps by your creator, to stand on one side or another. You are asked now to stand, not on a question of politics, not on a question of religion, not on a question of gay or straight. You are asked now to stand, on a question of...love. All you need do is stand, and let the tiny ember of love meet its own fate. You don't have to help it, you don't have it applaud it, you don't have to fight for it. Just don't put it out. Just don't extinguish it. Because while it may at first look like that love is between two people you don't know and you don't understand and maybe you don't even want to know...It is, in fact, the ember of your love, for your fellow **person...

Just because this is the only world we have. And the other guy counts, too.

This is the second time in ten days I find myself concluding by turning to, of all things, the closing plea for mercy by Clarence Darrow in a murder trial.

But what he said, fits what is really at the heart of this:

"I was reading last night of the aspiration of the old Persian poet, Omar-Khayyam," he told the judge.

"It appealed to me as the highest that I can vision. I wish it was in my heart, and I wish it was in the hearts of all:

"So I be written in the Book of Love;

"I do not care about that Book above.

"Erase my name, or write it as you will,

"So I be written in the Book of Love."

---

Good night, and good luck.

The Bush's Host the Obamas:  His last trip to the White House, might have guaranteed today's visit. September 25th -- the Economic Emergency Meeting on Pennsylvania Avenue; Barack Obama, almost an afterthought on day two of John McCain's Non-Suspension Suspension of His Campaign; the bizarre, see-through political stunt that spread across the electorate, a uniform coating of "Huh?" Our fifth story on the Countdown: the rapidity with which the world can change based on what Americans do -- not the government, but the people -- underscored today by his return trip... as President-Elect.

Git Out:  Throughout the day the Associated Press with continued reporting that the President-Elect has decided to close Guantanamo Bay and divide its detainees into three categories: those to be released, those to be tried within U-S courts, and others to be tried within some new not-yet-defined legal mechanism. Our fourth story tonight: as Gitmo constitutes our nightly question for President-elect Obama: What Do We Do Now?... Breaking news that the reporting may be very premature. The Obama transition team releasing a statement from Senior Foreign Policy Advisor Denis McDonough:

ODDBALL: Robotic Legs, doggies go for Obama and England has fallen off of the planet.

Viewership:  So I'm on "The View" this morning. Our third story: the clip in a moment. First, to answer the questions I've been answering all day. Yes: they were all very nice. Yes, Elisabeth Hasselbeck was very nice. In fact she was -- and this isn't the first time I've heard this -- she's like the official nice to all guests person. No: I don't know why they had us all sit on chairs that were the same height so I looked like a basketball player or the space alien from "To Serve Man." Yes, it as a little like spending ten minutes in a blender -- in a nice way. And the audience was great, and really good looking. Also, this vignette. They tape it in the same building as "All My Children"... so I heard this over the P-A system in the hallway: "Whoopi Goldberg to the stage please! Cast of "All My Children" please re-locate to the Psych Ward." Just another day in Fun City.

Worsties...see below.

WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD: Bill-O, Bill-O and more Bill-O

Special Comment., the Passage of Prop 8

Brief Encounters: The election may be over, but the short sharp shocks for the Republican Party, are not. It was at Guilford County, North Carolina... that Alaska Governor Palin first implied that some parts of the country were more patriotic, more American than others...This just in: Turns out that Sarah Palin's "Real America"... was in the tank for Obama, too. He... took... Guilford County.

Senate Shuffle:   Another day, another new Senate seat for the Democratic party... with three Senate races still unresolved. And in our fourth story on the Countdown, as Democrats inch toward a filbuster-proof majority, or something close enough to it... The urgency rises... regarding what to do with the Senator from Connecticut, Joe Lieberman.

ODDBALL: Cupcakes and baby zamboni.

Under the Bus:  She doesn't even get to keep the clothes. Our third story on the Countdown: Sarah Palin might have been nicknamed the Barracuda...But the Republicans who don't like her turned out to have been Piranha...And with a second day of not-very-carefully placed leaks... they have picked her bones clean. The sheer visceral joy that America did not elect a Vice President who didn't know Africa was a Continent, not a Country...Balanced somewhat by the question: why did the GOP hierarchy move so quickly to bury her? And... she doesn't even get to keep the clothes.

Worsties...see below.

WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD: Karl Rove, Silvio Berlusconi, and Rupert Murdoch vie for tonight's top honor.

Barney Trouble: Presidential politics. The ultimate Dog-Eat-Dog world. And in our number one story on the Countdown: turns out, that can be taken literally. Ask Jon Decker, political correspondent for the Reuters News Service...Or, as he is called by Barney -- the nation's lame-duck first dog...Lunch.

Yes We Did:  Was it just a mandate? Or was it both mandate and a landslide? Either way, who knew? It turns out the country was in the tank for Obama. Last night, a quarter million people in Chicago's Grant Park and 78-million more on television watched Barack Obama win the White House.

The New World: The recount in Minnesota. The convicted felon re-elected in Alaska. The possible re-vote in Georgia. The chaos in Oregon. As clear as the Presidential election was, that's how uncertain four critical Senate elections remain.

McLosers:  Dole and Kemp. Gore and Lieberman. Kerry and Edwards. John McCain and Sarah Palin. Today's losing losers, how they lost, and what follows their loss now that they have lost.

Worst Person in the World:  Billo the Clown, Comedian Rush Limbaugh and Bill Kristol battle for the prize.

Campaign Comment:  What would you give, what price would you pay, to be able to watch film of the Declaration of Independence being read to the American colonists in 1776? How about just a scratchy audio recording of Lincoln's speech at Gettysburg, or of either of his election nights? Consider the chills still inspired by those scant seconds of Roosevelt's "Fear Itself" speech, of the emotions, waxing and waning, whenever moments are played from Kennedy's inauguration, or in Berlin. This Campaign Comment is not about words and how they can sway, but rather about images and memories, and how they can stay.

If you're one of the many people who can't get enough of hearing Barack Obama's name announced as the winner of the presidency of the United States of America, you may find comfort in this brief mp3 of Keith Olbermann calling the race for Obama at 11 p.m. ET on election night. Save it to your computer to play over and over to your heart's content or use a Web service or direct upload to send the file to your phone as a ringtone.