2008 Awards

Man Of The Year: Barack Obama, obviously. (I called him the Biggest Winner in 2006, so Pajama Guy gets results.)

Woman Of The Year: Sarah Palin, just as obviously (though Tina Fey gets an honorable mention).

Story Of The Year: The financial crisis/meltdown and the political scrambling that followed.

Worst Reported Story: The financial meltdown. Why? Because no one understood it, though we sure had a lot of pundits claiming to.

Most Exciting Political Moment: McCain picks his running mate.

Turncoat Award: The many Republicans who backed Obama when they saw which way the wind was blowing. (I'm referring to the ones who would have backed McCain if they thought he'd win, which I'd bet is most of them.)

Biggest Winner: After Barack, anyone who sold when the Dow was at 14000.

Biggest Loser: John Edwards, who not only dropped out of the Presidential race, but, positioned for a cabinet post, self-destructed and essentially dropped out of politics. (Would have been fun if he fell apart after he'd accepted a position.)

Biggest Provisional Loser: Coleman (or maybe Franken--we'll see).

Biggest Gotcha: After McCain cancels an appearance to rush over to Washington, Letterman catches him doing an interview down the street with Katie Couric.

Most Pointless Brouhaha: Some Obama people actually got offended by a satirical, pro-Obama (or at least anti-anti-Obama) New Yorker cover.

Worst Thing Sarah Palin Said: Not as widely reported as other statements, she mocked research on fruit flies, apparently not aware that the study of Drosophilia has a long and valuable history.

Best New Website: FiveThirtyEight.com. For years I've pulled out my hair at how poorly the media report on polling and other numbers. Finally, someone does it right.

Most Gaffe-Prone: Joe Biden.

Biggest Non-Story: The War In Iraq. For years it looked like the Presidential election would be a referendum on the war, but in 2008 Iraq seemed to turn the corner, so it hardly mattered. (I've retired "no major terrorist attack inside the U.S." from this category.)

Biggest Stealth Story: (Last year I said the subprime crisis, so pay attention.) What Obama really believes. The press should have done a better job pinning him down. A lot of people who strongly disagree believe he's on their side.

Most Overhyped Story: Proposition 8. Just one battle in a long struggle, not that significant in itself.

Biggest Could Have Been Story: No major pardons from Bush--his own people or others--so no one cared.

Happiest Could Have Been Story: The large hadron collider at CERN did not destroy the universe.

MIA Award: After winning the U.S. Open, Tiger Woods leaves golf to recuperate, and everyone goes back to ignoring the sport.

Best Scandal: As always, plenty to choose from. I was leaning toward Spitzer over Blagojevich until a few days ago, when Blago, the gift that keeps on giving, went against everyone's wishes and appointed a Senator.

Biggest Celebrity Comeback: Britney Spears--she looked done, but returned with a #1 album.

Most Disastrous Celebrity Comeback: O. J.

Already Forgotten Award: The opening ceremony of the Olympics. In fact, all of the Olympics.

Worst Trend: Tie. The death of the record store (to be followed by the death of the bookstore?) and imaginative new taxes to make us eat better.

Worst Entertainment Trend: Jay Leno to get five hours of prime time.

Biggest New Social Trend: Less conspicuous consumption of luxury.

What Goes Up Award: Gas Prices.

Out Of The Frying Pan Award: The Bush administration leaves, taking with them some skewed views on science. The Obama people come in, and they're just as willing to act on their scientific views, some of them less settled than they believe.