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The Badger Herald

Independent Student Newspaper Since 1969

The Badger Herald

Independent Student Newspaper Since 1969

The Badger Herald

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Person-of-the-year decision is a no-brainer

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Choosing who should be TIME’s person of the year is not always the easiest thing to do. Last year it came down to outgoing New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and Osama bin Laden. A strong argument could have been made for either man, but TIME said since they were not sure if bin Laden was dead or not (to be person of the year one must be alive) they gave Giuliani an edge and chose him.

This year the choice is much easier. Last week the magazine released its “short list” of finalists for person of the year. Included on the list are President Bush, bin Laden, Eminem, Saddam Hussein, Yasser Arafat, various members of Bush’s staff, Martha Stewart and the Palestinian suicide bombers.

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Now, to be named TIME’s person of the year one must have had the most effect on the world that past year. It does not have to be a good effect, (ie: Hitler was named during WWI and bin Laden has been nominated the past two years), he or she just has to have been influential. And, love him or hate him there is no denying that this past year that person is Bush.

Just take a look at everything Bush has accomplished or has influenced in the past year: the Republican sweep in the midterm elections, the NATO expansion, Iraq, the war on terrorism, homeland security and the tax cuts.

Everyone else on the short list is actually someone who has dealt with an issue Bush has also been a part of. The man has been everywhere, and this is only the beginning.

With Republican victories in this year’s elections, Bush now has control of all three branches of government. Having the support of both the House and Senate will allow him to continue with the push to disarm Iraq, to further establish the newly created Department of Homeland Security and to keep the tax cuts permanent. It will also allow him to get other pieces of legislation through such as social security and his prescription drug plan.

In taking a look at the other final contenders none can even come close to Bush. Martha Stewart had her ImClone scandal and has been in hiding ever since. The media latched onto her too much with this scandal trying to use her as the model of corporate corruption, which is just not so. Besides, what has her scandal done to influence any changes in how corporations are regulated? Nothing that wouldn’t have already been done due to the scandals of Enron and WorldCom; Martha was just a face known to the general public to which the media could attach all the corruption.

Eminem? Please. He may be a good hip-hop artist, but what has he done lately to greatly influence people’s lives around the world? Not much.

Others are world figures that have played integral parts in the war on terror, the conflict in the Middle East and the war against Iraq. Ariel Sharon, Yasser Arafat, Saddam Hussein have all made decisions that greatly influence the lives of their people; yet, they all have to do with only one of the many issues Bush has influenced.

In a new move this year TIME has also decided to “let some air into the debate” and release this short-list so it can be debated in the media. They got some flak last year for choosing Giuliani over bin Laden and this year they wanted some more input.

Unfortunately, with everything going on in the world the debate hasn’t gone very far. Besides, being person of the year doesn’t mean that much. The buzz lasts for about a week, but then dies down. No one is going to be remembered as TIME’s 2003 person of the year twenty years from now.

Rather it is going to be the actions and decisions that person made while they were in power. Decisions that changed the character of the world. Bush this past year has done that through helping to expand NATO, the war on terror and the push to disarm Iraq. He has changed the face of the country, not only with those actions listed above, but also with homeland security, tax cuts, healthcare and his education initiatives. Not to mention he’s brought back dignity, honor and discipline to the office — something that was lacking from previous administrations.

Nobody has to like who is picked as person of the year; nobody has to agree with the decisions that person has made either, but the world is different because of what President Bush has done while in office, and there is no question that he should be TIME’s person of the year.

Katie Harbath ([email protected]) is a senior majoring in journalism and political science.

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