Guess it's the thing to do

With two days left in the year every publication is listing the best and worst of 2008.

Obviously events can be separated by the obvious.

SPORTS and POLITICS seem to dominate the news with ENTERTAINMENT following close behind.

CRAZY MOMENTS, like the recent Santa Claus dude in Covina, shouldn't make any type of list because that only fuels the insane fire within next year's potential candidates.

Basically I'll stick to the obvious BIG TWO and select the one person who had the greatest year of his or her life.

The TOP dogs would be Barack Obama and Michael Phelps.

2008 for both of these PLAYERS will always remain a great year simply due to results.

Michael can't really experience defeat again until 2012 in London so he's probably in the best position to reap rewards from his achievements in 2008.

Barack could be experiencing extreme problems and trouble by January 21st....

I believe if you asked most people who they would rather be....Michael Phelps or Barack Obama
Michael would win over Barack.

At this point in history and at this time of economic uncertainty and at this juncture of environmental problems and questions....being President of the United States seems like a rather challenging job and he probably can't win for winning...

...while being an EIGHT time Gold Medal winner from Beijing is just a freaking cake walk of endorsements and guest appearances.

HE DOESN'T EVEN HAVE TO DO WHAT HE DOES FOR ANOTHER TWO YEARS AND IN REALITY HE DOESN'T ACTUALLY EVER HAVE TO IT AGAIN.

If he never went into another swimming pool his legacy is completely set.

Barack, on the other hand, won the biggest GOLD MEDAL and by March he could be screaming for a life raft.

I assume that they are many people in politics that would like to be President of the United States
but .....
there is a very high percentage of those same people who are very grateful that IT isn't happening right now.

And on top of everything else it appears that Israel is apparently in the midst of reminding Barack what he faces in the Middle East....

even though they claim this GAZA ACTIVITY has been in the planning stages for two years.

There's is always more to every story than we, as the general public, are allowed to know.

It just seems odd that our President Elect is on a much needed vacation...and our outgoing President is anxiously packing for Dallas...and Israel picks this IN BETWEEN moment to settle some ongoing issues.

But I guess it's the thing to do...and I've always believed that Israel doesn't make aggressive gestures without full knowledge of Washington....

but most of Washington D.C is on vacation....so there's that thing to consider.

OF COURSE I COULD BE WRONG ABOUT THAT BELIEF

The more I think about it the more I am convinced that MICHAEL PHELPS had the greatest year of anyone...because it can never come back to bite him in the ass.

Barack Obama has herds and packs of vicious predators barking at his heels and 2008 could end up being a year that he and his family totally regret.

Hopefully not
but
POLITICS is such a strange business....
but then again, you already knew that.

Michael Timothy McAlevey