The Hill reveals that TIME magazine's Man of the Year will be... Barack Obama. Yeah, hit the snooze button and roll over. Do they never tire of attempting to decribe his awesomeness? Reading this will be like listening to a couple of eight grade girls chattering in the back seat:
"Did I tell you how great Bobby is?"
"Only like, ten minutes ago."
"Then you haven't heard the latest..."
Well, TIME whittled down their list to pretty slim pickings:
Obama edged out Malala Yousafazi, an Afghan teenager who narrowly avoided death after being shot for defending women's rights, Apple CEO Tim Cook, Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi and Fabiola Gianotti, an Italian particle physicist who worked on the discovery of the Higgs Boson.
In addition to the Higgs Boson, Prof. Gianotti invented the process that puts the loop in your rigatoni. True fact, and I don't know how TIME passed him by. Well, maybe later.
Pressing on, my nominee for Man of the Year is the fellow who has set the United States on ther path to energy independence, helped us reduce our carbon footprint, and helped the world to a cleaner, more abundant energy future.
I speak of the Godfather of Fracking, George Mitchell. Now, this award to an old white one-percenter might not work for the TIME audience (IS there a TIME audience?) so they can take the angle that "He didn't build that". Something for everyone.
Fracking will change America and the world more than two (or even three or four) of Obama's pretty speeches.
Man of the year. It isn't quite what it used to be.
Posted by: Sue | December 19, 2012 at 10:33 AM
Now, this award to an old white one-percenter might not work for the TIME audience (IS there a TIME audience?)
Too funny!
Posted by: Janet | December 19, 2012 at 10:35 AM
What is Time Magazine?
Posted by: NK | December 19, 2012 at 10:36 AM
Now, now TM,, your anti-Obama slip is showing.
Posted by: NK | December 19, 2012 at 10:39 AM
There's no loop in rigatoni.
Posted by: Extraneus | December 19, 2012 at 11:08 AM
No, there is no TIME audience.
Posted by: Danube of Thought | December 19, 2012 at 11:09 AM
True Extraneus - no loop, but tubular with ridges!
TM is correct about TIME - who knew they still had an audience?
Posted by: centralcal | December 19, 2012 at 11:13 AM
Let us not forget that Hitler was the Time man of the year in 1939.
Well, actually, since we have all forgotten Time magazine, we can forget that too.
Honestly, except in barber shops and other places that stock their waiting rooms with magazines, does anyone read TIME?
Posted by: Peter | December 19, 2012 at 11:15 AM
Hate to say it, but Jim Messina is my Man of the Year (under the standard that it's the one making the greatest impact, even if I don't like the crater left by the impact). He built on David Plouffe's use of social science techniques in elections, and pulled out a second term for a failed POTUS. Time for the GOP to stop worrying what went wrong and start convincing Adelson and other moneybags to fund a geek project that will blow away the Dem algorithms.
Posted by: Thomas Collins | December 19, 2012 at 11:24 AM
Funny how many weekly/monthly mags I used to receive that arrive no longer.
Good riddance to all of em.
And I am dumping several others that I used to enjoy. Popular Science has gone so green I cannot read it. Forbes has become the People Magazine of money. Business Week became the journal of Big Government and Crony Capitalization. Except for the Editorial Page, the WSJ is nearly as bad as other papers. Moving to broadcast, fair and balanced at Fox gives us Shep and other offensive idiots and even the "good guys" do not consistently sound very conservative to me.
Since the election I have read a lot more books and listened to a lot more music.
Posted by: Old Lurker | December 19, 2012 at 11:24 AM
Chris Stevens was unavailable for comment.
Posted by: Captain Hate | December 19, 2012 at 11:28 AM
Amen, OL
Posted by: Peter | December 19, 2012 at 11:32 AM
TC@11:24-- all true. that BIG data mining got enough voters out to re-elect a failed POTUS. BIG media chipped in by doing just enough to smear RR as the rich guy.
Posted by: NK | December 19, 2012 at 11:37 AM
Man of the year. Words fail!
Posted by: pagar | December 19, 2012 at 11:41 AM
And a big part of that data mining is coming from the social media and the tech companies who have been told they get essentially to co-plan and redesign the economy.
It is stunning how consistent the future visions are coming from a wide variety of directions. I got tickled to get a link from a site in India overnight discovering it's not just them with a problem.
Posted by: rse | December 19, 2012 at 11:42 AM
Henry Luce, while not doing capoiera in the other realm reconsiders the whole project, Brit Haddon concurs.
Posted by: narciso | December 19, 2012 at 11:43 AM
--Pressing on, my nominee for Man of the Year is the fellow who has set the United States on the path to energy independence...--
You mean the path to burning tap water, smoldering soybean and corn fields and exploding houses.
Matt Damon says so, so it must be true. He's like really smart or something.
Posted by: Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki | December 19, 2012 at 11:51 AM
"Fracking will change America and the world more than two (or even three or four) of Obama's pretty speeches."
Yeah, Bakken Reserve estimates were bumped again today. The field just keeps growing.
Posted by: Rick Ballard | December 19, 2012 at 12:00 PM
Meanwhile, the legal scholar of his generation has rejoined eternity. Rest in peace, Judge Bork.
Posted by: Thomas Collins | December 19, 2012 at 12:02 PM
Ditto, TC, and the twit who helped defame him, sits in the Naval Observatory
Posted by: narciso | December 19, 2012 at 12:05 PM
R.I.P., Judge Bork, one of my heroes.
Posted by: Mark Folkestad | December 19, 2012 at 12:20 PM
For at least the next decade ShaleGas and Debt will be the headlines. So many great opportunities in this world for US prosperity, and our political elites try their best everyday to eff' it up, because they get nothing out of general prosperity. It really is tyranny in its most cynical form. I hate DC and Blue State capitals with a passion.
Posted by: NK | December 19, 2012 at 12:20 PM
Man of the Year?
http://atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com/atlas_shrugs/2012/12/obama-lied-.html
"OBAMA LIED: ANALYSIS OF SOCIAL MEDIA IN LIBYA ON DAY OF BENGHAZI JIHAD MASSACRE FINDS NO REFERENCE TO MUHAMMAD VIDEO THAT OBAMA BLAMED FOR ATTACK"
Look at any subject that comes up with the Obama regime. The answer is always the same.
One word, four letters, LIES!
Posted by: pagar | December 19, 2012 at 12:25 PM
Tyrone Woods was unavailable for comment.
Posted by: Roland | December 19, 2012 at 12:30 PM
Hmm, maybe I am not cooking it right, but my friend raved to me about Mobius Rigatoni and it does taste pretty good.
Well, you say 'tubular', I say 'looped'... maybe it's me that's looped.
Posted by: Tom Maguire | December 19, 2012 at 12:33 PM
TM, you're just bitter that Obama repeated as Man of the Year before you did (your first coming in 2006, of course).
Posted by: hit and run | December 19, 2012 at 12:40 PM
Tubular or Looped? lol.

It is yummy, though.
Posted by: centralcal | December 19, 2012 at 12:44 PM
TM-
You have mail.
Posted by: Melinda Romanoff | December 19, 2012 at 12:45 PM
That's a loophole.
The terminology is taxing.
Posted by: hit and run | December 19, 2012 at 12:48 PM
Hit@12:40 heh..HEH!
I have to say, I do get a kick when TomM joins in on the comments. he's really a very witty guy. CC's visual enhances the witticisms.
Posted by: NK | December 19, 2012 at 12:50 PM
--In addition to the Higgs Boson, Prof. Gianotti invented the process that puts the loop in your rigatoni.--
I can't find anything to confirm that Fabiola Gianotti (who is a 'she', not a 'he') has anything to do with putting loops into pasta, rigatoni or otherwise.
Posted by: AliceH | December 19, 2012 at 12:53 PM
Isn't it "Person of the Year"? That seems more fitting for the spineless, soulless, unprincipled narcissist than "Man." And yes, Hitler was MOTY, but even he was more consequential (albeit negatively) than the community organizer in chief.
Posted by: jimmyk | December 19, 2012 at 12:53 PM
Pasta
- lungi
- tubi
- forme speciali
- per minestre
- repiena
Not finding any pasta loopi. So I think we should contact Clarice to coin the term legally, concoct a recipe, and add it to her Scams-R-Us boutique.
Posted by: centralcal | December 19, 2012 at 01:01 PM
jimmyK@12:53-- Hitler was MOTY in 1938, he didn't get rolling as a real monster until 1939. Give BarryI some time, he may well surpass Hitler in the negative consequences department.
Posted by: NK | December 19, 2012 at 01:05 PM
Only relatively, NK. Judging him at the end of 1938 alone he was pretty monstrous. Ask the people of Austria, Czechoslovakia, and the victims of Krystallnacht.
Posted by: jimmyk | December 19, 2012 at 01:33 PM
of course, but Hitler was just getting warmed up, Operation Barbarosa and the Final Solution had yet to come. let's just pray BarryI doesn't move on the same sort of tragectory.
Posted by: NK | December 19, 2012 at 01:57 PM
I didn't win last year as The Protestor? Well WTF, I am protesting now!
Posted by: Tom Maguire | December 19, 2012 at 02:34 PM
I love it when TomM swears... no TM, you didn't win last year as a "Protester", you admit to being a 1%er who was the object of the Protester. In the same sort of way, you are again the object of this year's winner BarryI; he's looking to appropriate more money from you to 'spread around' to his moocher constituents.
Posted by: NK | December 19, 2012 at 02:45 PM
Obama edged out Malala Yousafazi, an Afghan teenager who narrowly avoided death after being shot for defending women's rights, Apple CEO Tim Cook, Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi and Fabiola Gianotti, an Italian particle physicist who worked on the discovery of the Higgs Boson.
Obama combines the most notable aspects of each of the other nominees: someone helpless to improve Afghanistan, someone much less capable than his predecessor, someone hell-bent on spreading sharia, and somebody endlessly fascinated with a tiny, dense little thing which people who should know better often describe as God.
Posted by: bgates | December 19, 2012 at 02:53 PM
bgates@253- does not dissappoint. The wit and sarcasm exceeds Bgates' own usual high standards.
Posted by: NK | December 19, 2012 at 02:57 PM
Everyday Obama proves how irrelevant the mainstream media is to our lives.
But at least you can now view the Dead Sea Scrolls online. No mention of Obama as of yet.
Posted by: Jim Eagle | December 19, 2012 at 02:58 PM
Perfect, bgates. Had to think about that last one for a second.
Posted by: jimmyk | December 19, 2012 at 02:58 PM
LOL BGates!
Posted by: Jane: Mock the Media | December 19, 2012 at 03:02 PM
TM:
I didn't win last year as The Protestor?
Well you didn't claim victory on that one in a post, nor put anything about being the recipient on the blog's masthead.
Posted by: hit and run | December 19, 2012 at 03:06 PM
Professor Gianotti is a she not a he. Sexist pig!
Posted by: CShell | December 19, 2012 at 09:35 PM