So why isn't Obama jumping into auto bailout issue?

Contrary to this AP story, it's NOT necessarily that hard to get stuff passed during a lame-duck session of Congress, even significant stuff.

The 13th Amendment was passed by a lame-duck Congress and sent to the states for ratification after the 1864 election, for example.

Could it be that Obama knows this is at least a "tough sledding" issue, if not a controversial one, and wants more time, more chronographic breathing space? Quite possible. OR, even more, that he doesn't want to commit to any of the possible options?

On the other hand, supposedly, he has staff working behind the scenes to deliver up a prepackaged bankruptcy plan. But Big Three CEOs have already said they like that less than restructuring under a supervised bailout.

If major GM shareholder Kirk Kerkorian is correct in his guess that at least some of the Big Three have just weeks left, not months, it seems like Obama risks suffering worse falling by waiting than by committing himself to some particular line of action.