Countdown: Day 62, Wed 19 Nov 2008
Updated on 20 November 2008
A round up of the day's activity as Barack Obama prepares to become the 44th president.
He may not be president yet, but Barack Obama has become the subject of the latest video purportedly from al-Qaida's second-in-command.
The video states that "you have reached the position of president, and a heavy legacy of failure and crimes awaits you."
After mentioning Iraq, Afghanistan and Obama's pledge to talk to Iran, it goes on to say "The Muslim Ummah received with extreme bitterness your hypocritical statements and stances towards Israel, which confirm to the Ummah that you have chosen a stance of hostility to Islam and Muslims."
As Michelle Obama toured local schools with her children, it was announced she would feature in her own comic book - the third in the series of Bluewater Productions Female Force book, which will also feature Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin.
The two girls were also given a tour of their new home, including the children's bedrooms, as their dad was still hard at work selecting his cabinet.
Former Senate Democratic leader Tom Daschle has reportedly accepted a position as secretary of health and human services, with the job of expanding health insurance coverage.
Meanwhile, it seems George W. Bush is intent on pushing through changes to around 10 environmental safeguards in his last few weeks as president. Perhaps he didn't hear Obama's video address to Arnold Schwarzengger's Global Climate Change summit.
