OK - I finally crawled under the car today after driving it only a few feet. The 2 transmission hoses are fine but it looked like the passenger side tube from the hose was leaking just at the mating flange between the engine and the transmission (bell housing?). I slid the clip aft that secures the tube to the side of the transmission and the tube is not leaking either. The leak is somewhere above that tube and was as persistent as it was the first time i noticed it - the engine/transmission had hardly any time to warm up. Is there an hydraulic line (pressurized?)above this cooling tube - it is really hard to see back there because the engine is so close to the firewall and i just can't tell?

Stupid question of the day - is the bell housing filled with transmission fluid and could be leaking past whatever seal is between it and the back of the engine?