"Regulation Could Be Recession's Silver Lining" says the headline on Michelle Singletary's column in the Post. "There are many good things that can come out of a recession, especially one largely brought on by greed, corruption and corporate mismanagement," she writes. "U.S. Says It Will Bail Out Christmas," reads the headline on Daniel Henninger's opinion piece in the Journal. "Easter and even Valentine's Day might be next." But the intrepid deputy editor of the editorial page was not able to wrest a comment from Santa Claus as, I suspect, one of his Murdochian brethren at, say, the New York …

McDonald's has erected a billboard in sight of Starbucks headquarters declaring, "four bucks is dumb." Other competitors are trying to portray Starbucks as snobby, too, but CMO Terry Davenport says the chain is "not going to get sucked into the 'My coffee is better than your coffee,' price point type of coffee conversation."

In a statement ahead of an analyst meeting today, Procter & Gamble says organic sales will still rise in the October to December quarter, but growth will fall short of its forecast of 4% to 6%.

So, the Democrats and the White House are agreed on a rescue plan for Detroit. The only big question is whether they can push it through a possible Republican filibuster, the Freep reports. A vote could come as early as today. A key element of the bill is the creation of what most headline writers are calling the Car Czar (though it may be more than one person). The Washington Post this morning adds a new cubicle in the C-level suite with the headline, "Wanted: Crisis Manager in Chief," before reverting to a short history of czars …

Far be is from me to suggest that Procter & Gamble has gone over the top, but in its efforts to "make its products relevant in tough economic times," does this statement seem as preposterous to you as it does to me? "Given the state of the economy, many people are looking for cost-effective ways to pull off a grand gathering for family and friends this holiday season. Febreze's limited-edition scents are offered in a variety of products to help invoke a warm and fresh seasonal atmosphere at home without breaking the bank." Elaine …

Allison Linn's "Ads of the Weird" column this week features a joint ad by Wal-Mart and Coke that's playing in movie theaters and online. You can see it here. "Wal-Mart commercials have definitely improved since the days of the tacky flying smiley face and uniformed employees, but let's face it: The retailer's ads are not usually the stuff of creative wonderment," Linn writes. But she likes this one, which features a 20-something guy handing out bottles of Coke to a diverse gathering of family and friends (including his "surprisingly cool step-mother," "judo coach" and …

A bunch of people at Dunkin' Brands today probably need one of those big jugs of coffee they sell that you see on the sidelines of youth soccer games on Sunday morning. At 5:00 a.m. EST, a story moved across PR Newswire (how quaint a notion; I can hear the clack-clack-clack of wire machines inside my head) that Nigel Travis, who resigned last week as CEO of Papa John's, has been appointed CEO. Jon Luther will remain at the company as executive chairman of the board. It all started with a story by Jenn Abelson in …