Until last week, this long-beloved annual traditional seemed to be a lock for one person -- Nobel laureate, itinerant educator, and media superstar Al Gore. Sadly, he only makes first runner up this year. Similar to Time magazine, our Person of the Year is awarded to the person or group who "for better or for worse ... has done the most to influence the events of the year" in the climate arena.
By single-handedly stopping any international action on climate at Bali, by stopping California from regulating tailpipe greenhouse gas emissions, by forcing Congress to drop almost all non-oil-related provisions to cut GHGs from the energy bill -- all in one week! -- one man proved his unchallenged high-impact misleadership on the issue of the century: George Bush.
[Note to future historians: Curiously, Gore seemed to have gotten more actual votes than Bush did for the honor, but the judges awarded it to Bush anyway.]
In a related story, the FHS (Future Historians Society), having previously named Bush the Worst President in American History, awarded him one of their rare Worst Leaders of All Time Awards, alongside such notables as Neville Chamberlain and Nero, for his tireless efforts to destroy the health and well-being of the next 50 generations.
Bush spokesperson, Dana Perino, said the President always believed he deserved as much recognition for his global warming efforts as Al Gore.