Who Should Be the Time Person of the Year?
The general consensus seems that it's going to be Karl Rove. I understand the logic there, I suppose. He was the architect of a brilliant campaign, and Time named Bush POY in 2000, so they probably won't give it to him again just for winning re-election.
Though we don't get a vote, bloggers, as is our custom, haven't held back from making suggestions. Corner readers and contributors have suggested bloggers, or the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, for their ground-up contributions to the 2004 election. K-Lo suggests Michael Moore. Jesus is also under consideration, I guess because of the success of The Passion and the role of Evangelicals and "values voters" in the election. This guy suggests "The American Voter". Here's a discussion thread on the subject. Dan Rather is suggested - I think that's just mean. Don't kick him when he's down, guys.
My suggestion: either Abu Musab al-Zaqawi or "the Iraqi insurgent".
What's the biggest story this past year, both in the United States and throughout the world? Iraq. Why is it the biggest story? Because all year there's been a guerilla insurgency there trying to sabotage the reconstruction of the country and drive the Americans out. For over a year now, the Iraqi insurgents have been taking on the most powerful army pound-for-pound in world history and basically fighting them to a draw. They've caused more American combat deaths than any force since the North Vietnamese Army / Viet Cong.
There's also precedent for the naming of less-than-estimable people as Person of the Year. Generalissimo and Madame Chiang Kai-Shek won in 1937. Hitler won in 1938. Stalin won in 1939 and 1942. Khrushchev won in 1957. Khomeini won in 1979. Of course, none of those people were actively involved in the killing of American soldiers at the time, but nevertheless....
At any rate, I don't think there's any chance Time will make the insurgents People of the Year, for the same reason that they selected Rudy Giuliani over Osama bin Laden for Person of the Year in 2001: they know they'd be pilloried if they did, so they cop out and go for the safe pick.
Though we don't get a vote, bloggers, as is our custom, haven't held back from making suggestions. Corner readers and contributors have suggested bloggers, or the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, for their ground-up contributions to the 2004 election. K-Lo suggests Michael Moore. Jesus is also under consideration, I guess because of the success of The Passion and the role of Evangelicals and "values voters" in the election. This guy suggests "The American Voter". Here's a discussion thread on the subject. Dan Rather is suggested - I think that's just mean. Don't kick him when he's down, guys.
My suggestion: either Abu Musab al-Zaqawi or "the Iraqi insurgent".
What's the biggest story this past year, both in the United States and throughout the world? Iraq. Why is it the biggest story? Because all year there's been a guerilla insurgency there trying to sabotage the reconstruction of the country and drive the Americans out. For over a year now, the Iraqi insurgents have been taking on the most powerful army pound-for-pound in world history and basically fighting them to a draw. They've caused more American combat deaths than any force since the North Vietnamese Army / Viet Cong.
There's also precedent for the naming of less-than-estimable people as Person of the Year. Generalissimo and Madame Chiang Kai-Shek won in 1937. Hitler won in 1938. Stalin won in 1939 and 1942. Khrushchev won in 1957. Khomeini won in 1979. Of course, none of those people were actively involved in the killing of American soldiers at the time, but nevertheless....
At any rate, I don't think there's any chance Time will make the insurgents People of the Year, for the same reason that they selected Rudy Giuliani over Osama bin Laden for Person of the Year in 2001: they know they'd be pilloried if they did, so they cop out and go for the safe pick.
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