Demand weakened progressively, with sales tumbling dramatically in the final three months, including a 35.5 percent drop in December for an annualized selling rate of just 10.2 million vehicles, down from 16 million in 2007.

While all major players on Monday reported double-digit declines for December, Chrysler LLC's sales plunged 53.1 percent, likely raising fresh concerns about its survival prospects.

If that doesn't scream "give that woman a promotion" I don't know what does.  Besides, that's just the auto end of the AP's equation.  She's also, they remind us, made a bunch of overseas trade trips.  Although, I guess those haven't always worked out so hot either.  The Ivory Tower reports this morning, for instance, that a bit of a snafu from one of these big foreign investments the Granholm-Cherry administration loves to trot out and claim as their own didn't just fall through... it actually did serious damage to a Michigan company's bottom line.

Lubrizol Corp., the world's biggest maker of lubricant additives, acquired Dow Chemical Co.'s thermoplastic polyurethane business for an undisclosed price.

The product line had revenue of about $85 million in 2007 and will become part of Lubrizol's Estane Engineered Polymers unit, Wickliffe, Ohio-based Lubrizol said Monday in a statement. The acquisition was completed Dec. 31.

Dow, the largest U.S. chemical maker, fell 20% last week in New York trading after Kuwait canceled a plan to buy half of its plastics unit for $9 billion. Dow had planned to use cash from that transaction to help complete its $15.4-billion purchase of Rohm and Haas Co.

That Kuwaiti purchase was supposed to include investment here in Michigan, too, and fancy new jobs.  Now, Ohio, say hello to your new additive manufacturing operation.  Additive operation, say so long to Midland based Dow Chemical.  

You or I, if we were putting together a resume detailing our skill set and successes in the field in which we were seeking employment... we'd probably avoid talking about things like this.  They aren't exactly blue ribbon awards or shining leadership moments.

Unless, of course, you're talking to the Associated Press here in Michigan.  And the concept of a biased, liberal media is clearly a myth.