Obama's Big Start

Gallup reports President Barack Obama has an initial approval rating of 68% his first week in office. Only JFK had a higher initial approval rating in all the years Gallup has ranked approval.

Mr. Obama is the 9th newly inaugurated President for which Gallup has measured an approval rating. The numbers range from a low of 51% for Presidents Reagan and George H.W. Bush to 72% for President Kennedy.

And even people who don't approve of Mr. Obama, have kudos for the way he handled his transition to power. A seperate Gallup poll shows 83% of people give him high marks for the transition. (Gallup)

Obameter

Wanna see how President Obama is keeping (or not keeping) his promises?

Try the "Obameter."

It's the St Petersburg Times' tool for keeping up with the 510 promises they counted him making during his campaign.

As of today: 7 kept, 1 stalled, 14 in the works and 488 to go. (St Pete Times)

Democrats Tap Sebelius

Democrats have tapped Kansas Gov Kathleen Sebelius to deliver their response to the President's State of the Union Speech next week. With "change" being the battle cry of just about every candidate wanting to deliver next year's State of the Union, Democrats opted for someone outside the beltway.

Gov Sebelius released a statement saying:

"The American people expect their leaders to resolve their differences and put partisanship on the back burner. They demand leadership focused squarely on solving our problems, making the most of our opportunities, and moving America forward."

One of the things going in the Kansas governor's favor for the job -- she has not endorsed any candidate for President. Neutral among Dems. (Wichita Eagle)

War Numbers Just a Few Billion Off

How much are the wars really costing?

A top Republican supporter of US involvement in Iraq says it's a lot more than the White House claims. From the Washington Post, quoting Sen Ted Stevens (R-AK) in a Decembber 18 floor speech:

'This cost of this war is approaching $15 billion a month, with the Army spending $4.2 billion of that every month.' Sen Ted Stevens (R-AK), the ranking Republican on the Appropriations defense subcommittee

The adminstration's estimate is about three billion a month below that: $11.7 billion. (WashPost)

Sissy Slap Fight & Lone Wolfowitz

Presidents get in a sissy slap fight, Democrats become Congressional Columbos, and the Lone Wolf is back on the prowl.

Care & Feeding of Former Presidents

The care and feeding of ex-Presidents is pretty pricey.

And Bill Clinton is the most expensive of the three living former chief executives. At $1.16 million a year -- his expenses are almost as much as those of Jimmy Carter and George H.W. Bush combined.

For the record, Mr Carter billed Uncle Sam $518,000 for expenses -- Mr Bush, $786,000.

Mr Clinton has raked in $40 million in speaking fees since leaving office. But he still gets a $191,000 pension from taxpayers -- just as Mr Carter and Mr Bush. But Mr Clinton has requested an extra $10,000 on his pension next year -- to pay for health insurance. (WaPo)