LAST YEAR , we got together at this time of year and attempted to predict the TIME PERSON of the YEAR.
It is common for the winner of a presidential election to win the award in an election year.
I think this will only hold true if Kerry beats Bush. I don’t see Bush getting the award again.
Any thoughts?
Some Iraqi politician?
Even winning the election, I can’t see Kerry being “Man of the Year” if his campaign goes like it has been. This election is all about Bush.
But I agree that I don’t think they’ll give it to Bush, either.
So, I’d guess Time would have one of its “group win” years.
The Iraqi people
“The Terrorist” (Time will want to avoid any ethnic/racist complaints, so wouldn’t go with “The Islamic Terrorist” or something like that)
The Bush Administration (The Neo-Cons)
May I suggest that since this is also an Olympic year, the award could go to an underdog Olympian gold medalist?
(You forgot to say “American”)
Ever since Time chickened out in 2001 (when, by their own standards, Osama bin Laden was the only reasonable choice), it’s been hard for me to care who they pick. Their bad call then certainly makes my first dark-horse pick, Moqtada al-Sadr, a bit darker.
If Kerry wins the election with enough coattails to bring at least one house of Congress with him, I think it should be Kerry. If he brings both houses of Congress along for the ride, it won’t even be close.
My second dark horse, though, is Howard Dean. If the Dems win big this year, he will be the real reason. But they won’t pick him, no way nohow.
It’s hard to say, but I have a feeling that it will be a member or members of the Iraqi government, assuming that something drastic doesn’t happen. Surely they’ll blow up the fact that these people kept fighting for their country after assassinations and attempted assassinations. Puppet government or not, it’s a nice, patriotic, relevant Person of the Year.
Maybe Allawi?
Interesting, but I think that would be vastly overestimating his position and influence. While he was in the spotlight for a while, that was only the spotlight. The stage was much larger, and largely ignored.
Allawi can be a choice if he succeeds (or lives)
Chalabi could have been a choice. May still be.
Sistani is always there. Much better than Muqtada.
There are a lot of players in Iraq. Hell, I would put a few dollars on “The Iraqi Insurgent” the way things are going this year.
I would suggest that Nick Berg encompasses the year in many significant ways. Attacks on western civilians are not limited solely to Iraq, and an in-depth report into precisely why Nick Berg died (which has as much to do with his own utter cluelessness and naivete as with the murderes themselves) would summarise the Middle East in 2004 quite insightfully.
First reaction: who cares? One of the more overrated awards there is.
Second reaction: John Kerry, of course. He wins in a landslide. If he should lose, then Time will likely do something patriotically correct, such as name the American Soldier as People of the Year. Back to first reaction.
If voter registration goes up, the Kerry campaign gets a sh*tload of donations, and Bush loses in a landslide, then the obvious candidate will be Michael Moore.
I’d love to wager against that. No way will Moore get it. I don’t think it’ll be Kerry either. Don’t you have to do more than just win an election (assuming he does win) to get Man of the Year?
I’d guess that, assuming Iraq is still in one piece, it’ll be “the Iraqi government” or something along those lines.
It’s been more often than not that newly elected presidents get to be Times MOY.
Time’s site shows these past first time elected presidents got the honor:
2000- George W. Bush
1992- Bill Clinton
1980- Ronald Reagan
1976- Jimmy Carter
1964- Lyndon Johnson
1948- Harry Truman
1932- Franklin Roosevelt
Only Eisenhower, Kennedy, Nixon,and Bush I failed to be named Man of the Year the year that they won the White House. However, Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Nixon won in other years.
Oh, I don’t think he will either, unless you can prove Bush’s November defeat was directly tied in to the release of Fahrenheit 9/11. Hence my list of conditions. 
Still, it’d be worth it IMO to give Moore the MOTY award, just to watch the conservative pundits blow a collective gasket. 
How about giving it jointly to Moore and Cheney? I think the gasket industry needs some economic stimulation.
Cheney’s gasket is already blown. Valves are shot, too.
Dual recipients- Jesus & Mel 