A gaunt-looking Steve Jobs received a standing ovation when he stepped foot on the Apple stage to hawk his company's latest advances in iPods. --- In the past few years, Jobs' survived not only pancreatic cancer but has undergone a liver transplant earlier this year. And he showed up for the company's big dog-and-pony show looking worse for the wear. Stocks dipped at the prospect that Steve Jobs may not be healthy enough to lead the company forward.

Meanwhile, on the other coast, Barack Obama also received a standing ovation before he faced down Congress, shaking them by their collective shoulders to get off the dime and take some cohesive action on health-care reform. (BTW, if you agree with Obama and want to urge on your congressional delegation, let them know here.)

Both men are in the fight for their professional lives: one who has benefited from all the great health care that money could buy, while the other wants to make that health care as easy and accessible as ... well ... an iPod. Both men may be out on a limb, but I wouldn't count either of them out.

If you haven't seen it already, here's a clip that bears watching of Jobs in better days, addressing a graduating class at Stanford.