Year In Review - The Top 15 Newsmakers of 2005 - #1

Iraq.

It's gotta be.

Upon reflection, I left a lot of important people and happenings off of this list, like Terry Schiavo, Avian flu, the steroid scandal in baseball, the nomination of Harriet Miers, Plamegate, the debate on torture, the abduction of two Canadian peaceworkers, and my engagement, new house and new job, all of which happened within a 7-day span last January, just to name a few. However, so much of what is going on in the world today, from moves towards democracy in places as diverse as the Ukraine and Lebanon to things like Plamegate, the torture debate, gas prices and the abduction of two Canadian peacekeepers are linked to Iraq. There really is no other choice.

A review of the top 15:

15: The NHL strike
14: Condoleeza Rice
13: Toronto gun violence
12: Live 8/Make Poverty History
11: Ariel Sharon
10: Jack Layton
9: French riots
8: 7/7
7: Belinda Stronach
6: Same-sex marriage
5: Karla Homolka
4: Pope John Paul II
3: Justice John Gomery
2: Hurricane Katrina
1: Iraq

And, as an added bonus, here's another look at 2005 from The American Enterprise.