Good news: Pelosi a finalist for Time’s “person of the year”

Via JWF, who could disagree? So far, with an 80-seat advantage in the House, she (a) passed the stimulus bill, (b) passed a cap-and-trade bill that’s dead on arrival in the Senate, and (c) passed an ObamaCare bill that’s headed for the trash can once Reid passes something and demands that she ping-pong it, which she may not have the votes to do. During her downtime, she’s repeatedly impugned the patriotism of her opponents. Oh, and she also managed to become one of the most widely loathed politicians in America, to the point where the GOP’s planning to use her instead of Obama as its chief boogeyman in attack ads next fall.

All in all, I’d give her a solid B+.

Other finalists in the realm of politics include last year’s winner President Barack Obama, Afghanistan commanding Gen. Stanley McChrystal and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke.

“Look, she’s the first woman Speaker of the House. She’s the strongest Speaker of the House in decades,” Time managing editor Richard Stengel said of Pelosi on NBC’s “Today” show. “She had piloted what is probably the most important legislation in decades through the House. She’s a really, really pivotal lawmaker.”

Apple CEO Steve Jobs and Jamaican sprinter and Olympic Gold Medalist Usain Bolt are also included as finalists.

Another finalist is the “Chinese worker,” which the magazine said has become an influential international economic power.

So, of the seven finalists, one is an abstraction and the other five are men. Any wild guesses as to why Madam Speaker ended up on the list? Exit question one: Usain Bolt? Instead of, say, Iranian protesters? Exit question two: As much as it may irritate us to say so, is there any argument not to pick Obama? He became president, doubled down in Afghanistan, and won a Nobel. Ben Bernanke instead of him? Really?

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