1.) Barack Obama : The triumph of Ronald Reagan was a testament to those driven by moral absolutism and blatant nationalism. It also meant that America was divided into two factions, those who did matter and those who didn’t. So when Barack Obama won the 2008 Presidential election on the 28th anniversary of Ronald Reagan’s landslide victory over Jimmy Carter, it was not only the affirmation of a dream but the unveiling of a myth, the myth being Ronald Reagan’s America. The enthusiastic crowd in Grant Park was a reflection of an America abhor by many who still hold Ronald Reagan in such high esteem, as if he was the founder of the country. In that sea of humanity, there was young and old. Rich and Poor. Black and White. Brown and Asian. And they were all brought together by an individual who campaigned to the better angles in all of us rather than engage in a bitter dialogue about who could best be suited to drink beer with Joe the Plumber. Mr. Obama began the Cultural War discussion when he said that Small Town voters were bitter and that they cling to Guns and Religion. One could detect this as blatant elitism but here’s the kicker, he was right. The people Barack Obama was referring to had become so distrustful of politicians and so persuaded by Reagan’s belief that Government wasn’t the solution but the problem, that they continued to vote against their economic interests and stuck with cultural issues like Gun Control and Gay Marriage. If Mr. Obama came off as a charismatic Michael Dukakis, that’s fine, but for the first time, in what seems to be a long time, the American people chose someone that seems to look upon them as adults rather than imbeciles. We’ve come a long way from the days when Richard Nixon treated Americans as if they were the child in the family. Now, we’re about to embark on a journey with a gentleman who is a proof that the American Dream isn’t a mirage after all.

2.) Sarah Palin : The elevation of Sarah Palin from obscure Alaska Governor to Vice Presidential hopeful was one of the more dramatic moments in a Presidential Election that was already historic. Yet, one can carefully assess that particular situation and come out with this following analysis: What made the Sarah Palin story spectacular was that even though the citizens of this country were hunkering for a change from the archaic and reckless policies of George W. Bush, some were willing to pull the lever for the McCain/Palin ticket due in part to Governor Palin’s incredible ability to disarm any disaffected individual with her charm and her “aw shucks, I’m just a Hockey Mom from Wasilia” persona. And at first it seemed that the American people were willing to revert back to old habits and vote against their own economic interests because Sarah Palin projected a sense of political innocence. Due to her embarrassing interviews with Charles Gibson and Katie Couric, we were treated to a Sarah Palin that was shockingly out of touch with what was happening in the world and more importantly, within the United States. And when the economy tanked, the American people could’ve cared less if Sarah Palin was like your next door neighbor or the type of woman you would want to have a beer with. They found her to be dangerously unqualified to be Vice President, thus costing John McCain the Presidency.

3.) Governor Rod Blagojevich : There is a debate on whether Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich is just plain dumb or crazy like a fox. Neither is further from the truth. Sure, he acts like someone who just escaped from the funny farm and the wiretap transcripts prove that his intelligence is equal to a mountain goat but what we’re failing to recognize is that the drama swirling around Rod Blagojevich should be an indication of what type of leader we’ve been treated to ever since Richard Nixon won the Presidency in 1968. From that moment on, it seemed as if we judged leadership on a person’s capacity to do whatever it takes to reach the highest office in the land. Even if those means were criminal or morally bankrupt. Mr. Nixon set the standard and his spirit lives on in the person of Rod Blagojevich. The Governor’s conduct on the wiretaps shows a politician appealing to bloodlust in all of us. Not only was it just cynical to even attempt to sell the Senate seat of Barack Obama it was even more despicable when he demanded kickbacks from kids’ hospital programs. The man was simply desperate to get ahead in a world that would’ve gladly rejected him had he been a typical, run of the mill pious human being who wanted to cleanse the world of every disease and feed the starving children of every third world country. We’ve warmed up to this type of person for so long that it almost seems like an incurable addiction. Rod Blagojevich’s reputation will never recover. He will be marked forever as the wacky and corrupt Governor of a state that has became a laughingstock. But hopefully his conduct will make us look deeper into ourselves and see that we can no longer rely on a person who appeals to the werewolf inside of us.

4.) Tina Fey: Not only is she one of the most beautiful women in Hollywood, she’s also a brilliant performer and an even more talented writer. But 2008 will best be remembered for Tina Fey’s uncanny impersonation of Governor Sarah Palin. With her interviews, Governor Palin did a fantastic job in making herself seem unqualified to even run the Detroit Lions, but Tina Fey’s dead-on portrayal of the Governor of Alaska was the icing on the cake because no one could tell them apart. Although her incredible satire of Palin was meant to be funny, Fey’s depiction was more commentary about the state of women in politics rather than a spoof of an incredibly out of touch politician.

5.) Hillary Rodham Clinton : Her most ardent supporters will tell you that Senator Clinton’s loss in the historic Democratic primary was due to sexism. Never mind the fact that as far back as 2003, Hillary Rodham Clinton was a heavy favorite to not only win the Democratic Nomination, but to be the first woman ever elected President of the United States. What really derailed Clinton’s goal of winning the White House was her astonishing lack of judgment on which way the winds of change were blowing in the country. If you go back to the 2006 midterm elections, the indication was that those who gave their vote in favor of the Iraq war were doomed politically. However, Senator Clinton soldier on with the albatross of her Iraq vote around her neck. And in the end it cost her dearly. It appears that Hillary Rodham Clinton will never be President but that will not stop us from casting curious eyes towards her as she begins to start her new journey as Secretary of State. For better or worse, this intriguing figure will still remain a part of the American political debate.

6.) Michael Phelps: In recent years the sports world had been littered with athletes who were treating their bodies like grotesque science experiments or involved in criminal activity. It seemed that you couldn’t buy a sports hero, even if you tried. The record-breaking success of Michael Phelps at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing will not change everything completely. There will still be some jerk out there juicing up to gain that extra step and there will still be that morally lax athlete who will slip and fall from grace. Yet, Phelps’ achievements in Beijing were extraordinary, one, because it garnered some interest in the Olympics, and two it was an escape from a sports world that was seen by many as ethically corrupt. The incredible athletic prowess that Michael Phelps displayed in the summer of 2008 has many considering him to be the greatest Olympian ever (Has anyone heard of Jim Thorpe, Jesse Owens and Carl Lewis?) Regardless of that particular debate Michael Phelps has earned the cringe-inducing overexposure that comes with the success of being a record-breaking Olympian.

7.) Heath Ledger : The buildup for The Dark Knight was due in part to the extraordinary buzz swirling around Heath Ledger’s performance as the Joker. Often it left me intrigue but it left me with the doubt that Ledger’s increasingly hyped role would be a bit of a downer. Often there are many artists and athletes who are unable to match up to the hype but the moment Heath Ledger walk onto the screen as the Joker it was not only captivating but a true testament to every artist who looks for the deeper meaning to every character they’ve come across in their work. “The Joker” is the defining character in a decade filled with magicians whose act revolves around their capacity to toy with the emotions of people. The mastery of Ledger’s performance was his ability to be unrecognizable to the viewer who knew him as the handsome young star of such films as The Patriot and Brokeback Mountain. Ledger’s performance should not only be recognized as a brilliant achievement in cinema, but an example of how an artist perfects his or her craft. It’s just a shame that he isn’t here to reap the rewards of his success.

8.) Robert Downey, Jr. : As clichés goes, the story of Robert Downey Jr., is one that Hollywood loves to cram down our gullets until we choke. Yet, his Shakespearian fall wasn’t conceived by your typical Hollywood hack. No, it was all too real. His drug addiction and subsequent run-ins with the law threatened to derail a career filled with promise and possibility. In 2008, Downey achieved incredible success by becoming an unlikely box office star with the summer blockbuster Iron Man and following that with a comedic performance for the ages in Tropic Thunder. With his comeback in full swing, Robert Downey Jr. proves that some of the best stories aren’t usually written by Hollywood.

9.) Britney Spears : The beginning of 2008 wasn’t kind to Britney Spears. She lost her kids and then she lost her mind. But that didn’t stop us from attaching ourselves to this train wreck that was destined to crash at an alarming speed. It seems that we can’t pull away from Britney Spears, due to the fact that we’re curious as to how this story is going to end. But the tale still is being written. Spears made her so-called comeback by recording and releasing a new album and showing up at the MTV Video Music Awards (the site of her embarrassing performance in 2007) looking spectacular and with a renewed sense of vigor. Judging from her new album it appears that Spears’ isn’t the victim of her own excesses but rather a willing accomplice in her own freak-show.

10.) President George W. Bush : What is more stunning than Barack Obama’s meteoric rise to the White House? How about the dramatic fall of George W. Bush? With the exception of Richard Nixon, no President has gone from being a darling to a pariah in such a short period of time. We remember seeing President Bush with the bullhorn at Ground Zero in the wake of the Terrorist attacks and we thought to ourselves no matter what we felt about the man and no matter how he won the Presidency in 2000, we’re sure glad to have him. But all that good feeling evaporated with the horrendous photos from Abu Ghraib, the Iraq war and the bungling of the Federal Government’s response to Hurricane Katrina. No President in the history of the United States has achieved a record of incompetence but if you ask George W. Bush, he is confident that history will absolve him and render high marks for a Presidency that’s considered to be the worst since the days of Reconstruction. And to cap all off, the economy is under the worst Recession since the 1930’s. If there’s anything George W. Bush did right in 2008 it’s that through his incredible lack of ineptness he encouraged people to get more involved in the political process than ever before.

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