In all matters of opinion, our adversaries are insane.
Oscar Wilde

Time: Person of the Year ‘04

By: Lisa On: Dec/19/04 -


Time Magazine: Person of the Year 2004

Eagles rather than doves nestle in the Oval Office Christmas tree, pinecones the size of footballs are piled around the fireplace, and the President of the United States is pretty close to lounging in Armchair One. He’s wearing a blue pinstripe suit, and his shoes are shined bright enough to shave in. He is loose, lively, framing a point with his hands or extending his arm with his fingers up as though he’s throwing a big idea gently across the room.

Wonderful!

I had heard rumblings earlier this year that Time would announce “bloggers” as the Person(s) of the Year — however, I think that was just the pajama people being hopeful. Personally, I always think that during war time - American soliders and their families should be named Person(s) of the Year. However, naming President George W. Bush to this does encompass all of that, and more. He fought a helluva campaign and won in a country that is so divided on some pretty major issues such as war, terrorism, national security, taxes, education and health care.

He has stood hard and fast on his policies - - love him or hate him, you always know where this man stands.

An ordinary politician tells swing voters what they want to hear; Bush invited them to vote for him because he refused to. Ordinary politicians need to be liked; Bush finds the hostility of his critics reassuring. Challengers run as outsiders, promising change; it’s an extraordinary politician who tries this while holding the title Leader of the Free World. Ordinary Presidents have made mistakes and then sought to redeem themselves by admitting them; when Bush was told by some fellow Republicans that his fate depended on confessing his errors, he blew them off.”

An extraordinary man!

Interview with the President
The Rove Warrior
Don’t Call it a Dynasty
The Benetton-Ad Presidency
Galleries & Graphics: A President’s Life
Path To Power: President’s Family Tree
Paying Homeage: The President visits wounded troops
People Who Mattered: People Who Made the News
In Memorandum: People who Died in 2004

Posted on: December 19, 2004 |

Posted in: George W. Bush

100 Responses to “Time: Person of the Year ‘04”

  1. peejz
    December 19, 2004 - 08:27 AM on December 19th, 2004

    I agree with you Lisa! Another picture to add to my collection.:grin:

  2. Rat
    December 19, 2004 - 08:31 AM on December 19th, 2004

    Rock on! The man deserves it!

  3. Just A Girl
    December 19, 2004 - 08:42 AM on December 19th, 2004

    Person of The Year 2004
    President George W. Bush is named Time Magazine’s 2004 Person of the Year.

    Time made the right choice. I heard the left wanted Michael Moore or Howard Dean.

    Pfft.

    Love him or hate him - George W. Bush is in a class by himself.

  4. LisaS
    December 19, 2004 - 08:43 AM on December 19th, 2004

    Absolutely, peejz - - he photographs well, too! :)

  5. peejz
    December 19, 2004 - 08:51 AM on December 19th, 2004

    I constantly find myself thinking the same thing you said; you always know where the man stands. If he says he is going to do something, it gets worked on. And he is correct; you can measure a man’s sucess by his critics. I don’t think it is yes people that he surrounds himself with. I think they are people that were hired to do the job he laid forth for them.
    And man is that man nice on the eyes:smile:

  6. shiloh
    December 19, 2004 - 09:25 AM on December 19th, 2004

    there’s an interesting element of eroticism and romantic love i’ve detected over my last 3,000 or so visits, that appears to show up on little kiity feet towards this fellow, every once in a while.

    Just a Girl - your last sentence might be a general statement, but certainly true. [in trackback] what’s a trackback?

  7. LisaS
    December 19, 2004 - 09:35 AM on December 19th, 2004

    shiloh - that Just A Girl is always right :)

  8. shiloh
    December 19, 2004 - 09:37 AM on December 19th, 2004

    g’morning Lisa. i think i understand what you mean in 6.

    but remember, i’m ‘just a guy’.

  9. shiloh
    December 19, 2004 - 09:48 AM on December 19th, 2004

    ‘the man of the year’ in Time in ‘82 was a computer.
    1935 Haile Selassie
    1938 Adolf Hitler
    1939 Joseph Stalin
    1957 Nikita Krushchev
    1958 Charles De Gaulle
    1971 Richard Milhous Nixon
    1972 Nixon and Kissinger

    & my two favorites:
    1988 Endangered Earth
    1992 Bill Clinton

    & just for my own amusement…

    1995 Newt Gingrich

    i guess the lesson here is, be careful of what club you wish to become a member of.

  10. peejz
    December 19, 2004 - 09:49 AM on December 19th, 2004

    6- You’ve got that right!

  11. LisaS
    December 19, 2004 - 09:52 AM on December 19th, 2004

    I don’t think anyone ‘wishes’ to become a part of it - - it just happens. Time Magazine picks the person who was most newsworthy in the year - - not necessarily good or bad . . but the person who generated the most news.

    In 2002 they were considering UBL.

    Time just made a very good choice this year. Their choice last year was a good one too.

  12. peejz
    December 19, 2004 - 09:57 AM on December 19th, 2004

    Excellant point Lisa! 2 years in a row of good choices!

  13. shiloh
    December 19, 2004 - 09:59 AM on December 19th, 2004

    i should have said: be careful of celebrating membership. i appreciate the clarification of the objective nature of being named.

    good or bad is not the criteria for the ‘honor’.

  14. shiloh
    December 19, 2004 - 10:01 AM on December 19th, 2004

    peejz - you imply it was a ‘good’ choice. was Hitler a ‘bad’ choice?

  15. shiloh
    December 19, 2004 - 10:02 AM on December 19th, 2004

    and if the choices are so rife with ‘bad’ ones, who cares what a silly magazine says when they’re ‘wrong’ so much of the time?

    smenatics. i’m done.

  16. shiloh
    December 19, 2004 - 10:06 AM on December 19th, 2004

    i wonder what the level of interst will be in Time’s selection vs. Sports Illsutrated swimsuit selection.

    they’re both pulp entertainment.

  17. K
    December 19, 2004 - 11:31 AM on December 19th, 2004

    that and people’s sexiest man alive, shiloh.

    i had heard this year’s time person of the year would be “the american voter.” which would have been kinda cool.

    but i do love president bush!

  18. K
    December 19, 2004 - 11:33 AM on December 19th, 2004

    shiloh, “justagirlintheworld” is lisa’s personal blog. and a trackback is a link to another site.

  19. shiloh
    December 19, 2004 - 11:55 AM on December 19th, 2004

    g’morning K. i figured out who Just a Girl was in post 6.
    my all time fav is:
    1998 Bill Clinton and Kenneth Starr.
    thanks re: trackback.

  20. sandyb
    December 19, 2004 - 01:04 PM on December 19th, 2004

    I think Bush probably was the most newsworthy person of 2004. As for his steadfastness, its there for a lot of things, but when it comes to others (the assualt weapons ban that he ’supported’ but wouldn’t lobby for is one example). Its hard to think of a more stubborn, close-minded response to the gay-marriage issue than a constitutional amendment; and its hard to consider another country ordering UN weapons inspectors out of a second country so it can be invaded by the first country. Steadfastness vs. stubborness, I guess; only a value judgement seperates them.

  21. K
    December 19, 2004 - 01:39 PM on December 19th, 2004

    12-15 - wow, look how bitter you sound. buzzkill.

    i think it’s a great honor. good choice. great man.

    and to think barbara walters chose karl rove as this year’s most fascinating person - pfffft.

  22. K
    December 19, 2004 - 01:42 PM on December 19th, 2004

    Did anyone else get his Christmas card (I think most people did if they contributed to the campaign)? I thought it was so cute how it was postmarked from Texas. :wink:

  23. shiloh
    December 19, 2004 - 01:43 PM on December 19th, 2004

    was hitler a good choice? Clinton? as stated, it for those who generate the most news and action.

    it does not imply value judgements/success or even positive results.

    it just is what it is. i was attempting to communicate that to peejz. i think it objectivity you’re objecting to.

  24. K
    December 19, 2004 - 01:46 PM on December 19th, 2004

    Yes, Hitler was an excellent choice, as was Clinton (as Monica would have been as well). Who do you think was most newsworthy this year shiloh? Because you obviously have another choice in mind.

  25. K
    December 19, 2004 - 01:48 PM on December 19th, 2004

    I had also heard they were considering Mel Gibson along with Michael Moore.

    I think THK would have been pretty funny.

  26. shiloh
    December 19, 2004 - 01:50 PM on December 19th, 2004

    i’ve always thought the man of the year should be a ‘peacemaker’. not a proponent of war.

    Top 11 Reasons Time Magazine Named Bush Man Of The Year…

    11. The CIA insisted.

    10. He bought 100,000 subscriptions in the Publisher’s Clearinghouse Sweepstakes.

    9. Editors making up for overlooking Barbara Bush as Man of the Year.

    8. Doug Flutie turned it down.

    7. Just another example of the liberal media conspiracy.

    6. Four Words: Contributing Editor Antonin Scalia.

    5. Dick Cheney’s photograph scares children.

    4. Confusing ballots split vote between Al Gore and Pokemon.

    3. Newsweek double-dog-dared them.

    2. Time confused him with his father, too.

    1. He was nearly elected President!

  27. K
    December 19, 2004 - 01:53 PM on December 19th, 2004

    could it be a woman too shiloh?

  28. shiloh
    December 19, 2004 - 02:05 PM on December 19th, 2004

    Mohammed Mossadegh (Persian: محمد مصدق‎) (May 19, 1882 - March 4, 1967) was prime minister of Iran from 1951 to 1953.

    he was Time’s man of the year in 1953. he fought against American & British policies that intended to install the Shah as head of government and control oil.

    his overthrow by us & the Brits led directly to Islamic fundentalism that is so destructive, & the unrest that led us into Iraq and continues to have disasterous implications.

    perhaps, in retrospect, Eisnehower & Dulles should be the men of the year, 50 years later, because i draw a weird historical line bewteeen their decision and 9/11 and Bush being out into the position he finds himself.

    this does not change my opinion of the wrongness to invade Iraq.

  29. shiloh
    December 19, 2004 - 02:07 PM on December 19th, 2004

    Queen Elizabeth II was ‘man’ of the year in 1952.

    after that, women evidentlly ceased being productive, according to Tieme.

  30. shiloh
    December 19, 2004 - 02:09 PM on December 19th, 2004

    25 - #1 makes no sense now, i admit. on January 20th [?], 2005, i agree America will have it’s first legitimately elected president since Bill Clinton left office.

  31. K
    December 19, 2004 - 02:50 PM on December 19th, 2004

    well, i am off to go watch the pack. hear it’s nice and chilly today for jax :)

  32. shiloh
    December 19, 2004 - 02:52 PM on December 19th, 2004

    c ya

  33. shiloh
    December 19, 2004 - 03:54 PM on December 19th, 2004

    The magazine’s editors tapped Bush “for sharpening the debate until the choices bled, for reframing reality to match his design, for gambling his fortunes ” and ours ” on his faith in the power of leadership.”

    link

  34. shiloh
    December 19, 2004 - 04:57 PM on December 19th, 2004

    The winner must be “the person or persons who most affected the news and our lives, for good or for ill, and embodied what was important about the year, for better or for worse.”

    Jim Kelly/ Time Magazine, Managing Editor

  35. shiloh
    December 19, 2004 - 05:09 PM on December 19th, 2004

    to who sees this…the slow loading that happened yesterday just started happening again.
    —————————————————————————————————

    Do you think President Bush was a good choice for Time magazine’s Person of the Year?

    Yes 33% 28686 votes

    No 67% 58041 votes

    Total: 86727 votes

    from cnn.com
    i imagine fox might have different numbers

  36. sandyb
    December 19, 2004 - 05:42 PM on December 19th, 2004

    33,
    By that definition, shiloh, I think that Bush should have been the person of the year last year, moreso than this year. But I think its fair. At least its not Donald Trump. God, I am sick today. Ugg.

  37. peejz
    December 19, 2004 - 05:48 PM on December 19th, 2004

    Wow 35 rplys total and 18 by shiloh. Who would have guessed.

  38. shiloh
    December 19, 2004 - 05:48 PM on December 19th, 2004

    sandy, sick as in ill, or politically?

  39. shiloh
    December 19, 2004 - 05:49 PM on December 19th, 2004

    sorry peejz. is there a limit i wasn’t aware of? but congragulations on finding another way to insult me.

  40. K
    December 19, 2004 - 05:50 PM on December 19th, 2004

    hope you feel better, sandy.

    i am sick of brett favre and interceptions.

  41. shiloh
    December 19, 2004 - 05:50 PM on December 19th, 2004

    as i said, i’m not a football fan. i give sundays to God & current events.

  42. peejz
    December 19, 2004 - 05:52 PM on December 19th, 2004

    K- are you going to your party?

  43. lee
    December 19, 2004 - 05:52 PM on December 19th, 2004

    current event: I hate football again. :sad:

  44. shiloh
    December 19, 2004 - 05:52 PM on December 19th, 2004

    only 4pts K.

  45. shiloh
    December 19, 2004 - 05:53 PM on December 19th, 2004

    who are you supporting, football-wise, lee?

  46. peejz
    December 19, 2004 - 05:53 PM on December 19th, 2004

    42- why is that lee?

  47. lee
    December 19, 2004 - 05:54 PM on December 19th, 2004

    I’m a Bears fan. dammit.

  48. lee
    December 19, 2004 - 05:55 PM on December 19th, 2004

    But my basketball team won by 37 points. That means #1 for the third straight week! :razz:

  49. shiloh
    December 19, 2004 - 05:56 PM on December 19th, 2004

    peejz - i asked you an objective question earlier & you chose to ignore it. that’s not the problem. the problem is in the mirror. go to it & read #36 again./

  50. lee
    December 19, 2004 - 05:56 PM on December 19th, 2004

    45- The score was 24-5. Guess who got 5 :cry:

  51. peejz
    December 19, 2004 - 05:56 PM on December 19th, 2004

    46- and….

  52. K
    December 19, 2004 - 05:57 PM on December 19th, 2004

    lee - sorry. i had picked them in my pool for you.

    and damnit MN just squueked by peejz.

    oh well, we are guaranteed to be in (probably just one game of) the playoffs.

  53. lee
    December 19, 2004 - 05:57 PM on December 19th, 2004

    Sorry about the Lions too; at least your game looked more even!

  54. peejz
    December 19, 2004 - 05:58 PM on December 19th, 2004

    against who?

  55. shiloh
    December 19, 2004 - 05:58 PM on December 19th, 2004

    46 - well there’s your problem right there.

    at least you won, when was it - in the 80’s?

    i recognize the provlem - i’ve been a Red Sox fan all my life.

  56. K
    December 19, 2004 - 05:59 PM on December 19th, 2004

    yeah, i need to leave in about an hour or so.

  57. lee
    December 19, 2004 - 05:59 PM on December 19th, 2004

    At least the Packers lost too; that way there’s only one person I can think of here who can give me (us) a hard time!

  58. K
    December 19, 2004 - 06:00 PM on December 19th, 2004

    Houston, peejz.

  59. lee
    December 19, 2004 - 06:01 PM on December 19th, 2004

    54-You can’t see it, but I’m sticking my tongue out at you…

  60. K
    December 19, 2004 - 06:01 PM on December 19th, 2004

    56 - shesh, they haven’t lost YET! still some time, but need 2 scores…

  61. shiloh
    December 19, 2004 - 06:01 PM on December 19th, 2004

    lions & jaguars & bears, o my.

  62. peejz
    December 19, 2004 - 06:01 PM on December 19th, 2004

    uuuggghhh! Oh well. Are you excited about the party?

  63. lee
    December 19, 2004 - 06:01 PM on December 19th, 2004

    Yeah peejz, the Texans. It was horrible!

  64. lee
    December 19, 2004 - 06:02 PM on December 19th, 2004

    How was the church breath K?

  65. K
    December 19, 2004 - 06:03 PM on December 19th, 2004

    and if brett can throw to someone in a GREEN uniform, we may be able to pull through. :evil:

  66. peejz
    December 19, 2004 - 06:03 PM on December 19th, 2004

    Hey don’t count him out yet!

  67. lee
    December 19, 2004 - 06:04 PM on December 19th, 2004

    Time’s running out K :twisted:

  68. K
    December 19, 2004 - 06:04 PM on December 19th, 2004

    63 - that’s christmas eve…packers at vikings - my sister and i convinced everyone to go to church the day before :mrgreen:

    jesus said he understood.

    okay, i need to go get dressed up and messed up…

    have good nights, guys!

  69. K
    December 19, 2004 - 06:05 PM on December 19th, 2004

    60 - that was actually almost funny, shi :wink:

    66 - you could show a little SUPPORT.

  70. peejz
    December 19, 2004 - 06:06 PM on December 19th, 2004

    Drive safe!

  71. K
    December 19, 2004 - 06:07 PM on December 19th, 2004

    Thanks peejz - the place is only about 2 minutes from me!

    Man, and ARIZONA is even winning? Did hell freeze over?

  72. lee
    December 19, 2004 - 06:11 PM on December 19th, 2004

    68-I would rather we all baske in misery together! When the Packers win I have to take a lot of shit from a LOT of people! Not just the few on this board; my brother and my best friend to name a few. So it’s just better for me if the Pack loses…:grin:

  73. K
    December 19, 2004 - 06:20 PM on December 19th, 2004

    argh, this dude just NAILED fergusen…i hope he’s okay…

    JERK!

  74. shiloh
    December 19, 2004 - 06:32 PM on December 19th, 2004

    Employment
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    “Favre” fifth on The New York Times hardcover nonfiction list

    Associated Press
    GREEN BAY, Wis. - The book “Favre” about Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre, his career and his family is listed the No. 5 best seller on The New York Times list of hardcover nonfiction.

    i wonder how many notches it will fall after this game?

  75. shiloh
    December 19, 2004 - 06:33 PM on December 19th, 2004

    73 - i guess i didn’t really need the menu.

  76. shiloh
    December 19, 2004 - 06:34 PM on December 19th, 2004

    still too many posts, peejz?

  77. K
    December 19, 2004 - 07:04 PM on December 19th, 2004

    It was almost a comeback.

    And the book is very good, thanks. He’s an all-around good guy, win or lose.

    NOW I am leaving.

  78. K
    December 19, 2004 - 11:36 PM on December 19th, 2004

    I am back. Had an awesome time! Got my Christmas gift - a gorgeous ornament and 1700 in cash. I have worked for the company for 5 months, so the bonus was really cool!!!!

  79. peejz
    December 20, 2004 - 07:22 AM on December 20th, 2004

    Merry Christmas K! That is a wonderful gift. I collect ornaments, so I actually was more excited about that than the check!:smile:

  80. TAC
    December 20, 2004 - 08:31 AM on December 20th, 2004

    40. Shiloh, Sunday is for God, what is monday for, the ACLU? Ha!

    Just had to throw that in there.

  81. mike kilo
    December 20, 2004 - 09:02 AM on December 20th, 2004

    congrats K.

    and Merry Christmas to all and god bless the President of the United States of America.

  82. peejz
    December 20, 2004 - 10:29 AM on December 20th, 2004

    God Bless.

  83. lee
    December 20, 2004 - 10:44 AM on December 20th, 2004

    Wow, $1700 after five months! You must be doing a great job K! Congrats :) I can usually add that much to my credit card debt in five months…

    Sorry about being mean to the Pack; I suppose I should just suck up the abuse (since I usually deserve it) and be supportive :)

  84. K
    December 20, 2004 - 01:09 PM on December 20th, 2004

    thanks to peejz and kilo.

    82 - thanks lee, i was surprised. the cool thing is, that is net, not gross…so no taxes. i can definitely use it right now!

    you can pull for them on friday, how is that?

  85. lee
    December 20, 2004 - 02:26 PM on December 20th, 2004

    83 - Ok, but only for you, K. And I can’t let my brother or best friend know I’m rooting for Green Bay; I’d never hear the end of it :wink:

    I just got my own sorta bonus; I went to my grad school interview, and we spent the time talking about how they were going to finance me up to 50%. Whether I was accepted or not was never an issue! The secretary’s running my paperwork to admissions by hand and I should be able to register for classes in a couple days. I even had a choice of offices! They want me bad :grin:

  86. K
    December 20, 2004 - 02:53 PM on December 20th, 2004

    Congrats, Lee!!!

  87. TAC
    December 20, 2004 - 03:03 PM on December 20th, 2004

    Way to go Lee! “Go smart people!” :lol:
    I spent some time on your site, and came away, once again, feeling stupid.:lol: Way above my head.

  88. lee
    December 20, 2004 - 04:33 PM on December 20th, 2004

    Thanks guys!

    TAC - the number one rule of scientific writing is that the quality of the paper is directly proportional to the number of people you can confuse. Bonus points if you can confuse a professor :) Were you on my homepage or the digital demo room website?

  89. shiloh
    December 20, 2004 - 04:36 PM on December 20th, 2004

    87 - i went to both places and was first confused, then more confused!
    congragulations on your success!

  90. lee
    December 20, 2004 - 04:39 PM on December 20th, 2004

    I’ll make professor some day!!! :grin:

    Plus thanks for visiting the site; my boss gets thrilled when the “guest” counter keeps rolling…

  91. Sasha
    December 20, 2004 - 11:12 PM on December 20th, 2004

    Are you trolling for hits now?:lol:

  92. lee
    December 20, 2004 - 11:54 PM on December 20th, 2004

    I never really thought of it that way. All I wanted to do was show off how big my brain is :razz:

  93. dg
    December 21, 2004 - 07:30 PM on December 21st, 2004

    The Ayatullah Khomeini was Man-of-the-Year. Stalin was Man-of-the-Year — twice, just like Bush.

    If you read the article, Bush got re-elected President while being repeatedly wrong:


    “. . . the lessons Bush draws from his victory are the ones that matter most. The man who in 2000 promised to unite and not divide now sounds as though he is prepared to leave as his second-term legacy the Death of Compromise. “I’ve got the will of the people at my back,” he said at the moment of victory. From here on out, bipartisanship means falling in line: “I’ll reach out to everyone who shares our goals.” Whatever spirit of cooperation that survives in his second term may have to be found among his opponents; he has made it clear he’s not about to change his mind as he takes on Social Security and the tax code in pursuit of his “ownership society.” So unfolds the strange and surprising and high-stakes decade of Bush.

    For sharpening the debate until the choices bled, for reframing reality to match his design, for gambling his fortunes”and ours”on his faith in the power of leadership, George W. Bush is TIME’s 2004 Person of the Year. “

    Keep cheerin’. It’s a long way down…

  94. TAC
    December 21, 2004 - 08:37 PM on December 21st, 2004

    dg, so nice of you to put Charman Mao’s little red book long enough to grace us with you pittiful comments.

    You should be proud that Stalin was a 2 time awardee. You also forgot to mention that FDR was one also.

    F you commie scum.

    I have the Solution.

  95. TAC
    December 21, 2004 - 08:39 PM on December 21st, 2004

    pitiful, sorry

  96. shiloh
    December 22, 2004 - 11:37 PM on December 22nd, 2004

    the man of the year seems to be positioning education further & further away from those who need the opportunity most…Students to Bear More of the Cost of College

    ollege students in virtually every state will be required to shoulder more of the cost of their education under new federal rules that govern most of the nation’s financial aid.

    people are being left behind

    more tax cuts anybody?

  97. dg
    December 23, 2004 - 02:01 PM on December 23rd, 2004

    RE: #93

    TAC has gazed into the abyss. . .

    *Have ya knawed on Rummy’s septar lately?

  98. mike kilo
    December 23, 2004 - 02:06 PM on December 23rd, 2004

    wow.. you mean some f-ing pampered 19 year olds might actually have to shoulder some of the costs of their own educations? LIke the rest of us? who served in the military, took out loans, worked part-time jobs…..the horror.

    Let’s see, SOME 19 year old heros are manning machine guns and fighting muslim animals, yet $hitloh seems only concered with the ones who may or may not have beer money after buying textbooks….yeah… he loves this country.

  99. mike kilo
    December 23, 2004 - 02:07 PM on December 23rd, 2004

    typical liberal…… blame the president…blame white men..blame congress…blame anyone.

    Don’t f-ing heap any actual burden on the ever-narrowing shoulders of American youth to f-ing fend for themselves, maybe actually learning the value of education…….oh no, not when we can GIVE it away….

    you dick.

  100. shiloh
    December 23, 2004 - 02:11 PM on December 23rd, 2004

    Power is what drives the megalomaniac. You strive towards increasing your power and wealth, by any means necessary. There are only two classes of people in your world: those who are weak and those who do not deserve the power they have.

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