Joe the Plumber is back in the news...

President-elect Barack Obama's new ride has arrived -- and it's a beast.  (2009 Cadillac)

The Detroit News reported Tuesday that a new model of a presidential limousine made by General Motors Corp. has been delivered to the Secret Service and will make its debut on Inauguration Day.

The vehicle, referred to by the Secret Service as "the beast," will reportedly feature heavy armor that is at least 5 inches thick and comes complete with run-flat tires, bulletproof glass and a completely sealed interior to ward off a chemical attack, among many other high-tech security features.

One news agency, noting its 8-inch-thick doors, said the limo can withstand a "direct hit from an asteroid." But GM spokeswoman Joanne K. Krell laughed off the comments.

The new limousine also includes larger windows and better visibility for the president, a spokesman for the automaker told the paper.

Cadillac has previously disclosed that the limo's interior is made of hand-stitched leather and includes a 10-disc CD player.

"The president is not riding in a medium-duty truck, nor he is riding in a sedan," a GM representative told the Detroit News, it is a "unique" vehicle.

The armored 2009 Cadillac Presidential Limousine will make its debut at Obama's Jan. 20 inauguration in Washington.

The Secret Service and GM say they'll reveal more about the custom vehicle's specifications next week after training with the new limousine at a facility near Washington.

We all work hard. We have goals to reach, mountains to climb, ambition to feed, laser focus, fire in the belly and unabashed determination, especially when the economy, the market, and prospects are heading downward. But a friend once said to me, "No one on their death bed ever said, 'I wish I spent more time at the office.'"

Working hard is not the same as working smart. If you focus on the efficiency of your efforts, strategic delegation to talented co-workers, and careful prioritization, you can find a little more flexibility in that schedule without having to sacrifice any potential for future and/or continued success. In fact you may find renewed energy and perspective that may have been lacking.

Take a pledge this week to find a little extra time in your life for those who mean the most to you. Try to switch one business dinner to a lunch. Ask a colleague to handle an assignment that you will review instead of do yourself. Make sure that trip is really important and worth it.

Traditionally, we embrace the New Year as a time of renewal - nothing shocking in that. And we often see it that way personally, as well as on a larger scale. That can at times mean a business, a family, even a nation, it seems to me.

If you intend any personal renewal of sorts, I wish you the best of luck with that.

And certainly given several recent events, some renewal on the public scene is in order, no matter what.

But that doesn't necessarily mean any potential American renewal some of our politicians have in mind is the right kind of renewal for us, or for America itself.

Politically speaking, the Right and center-right should refresh themselves for the challenges sure to come directly ahead.

It is only in any strength we can generate from such a renewal right now that we can assure a future for America every bit as bright as her past and perhaps even better than some of our grandest current dreams.