Quotes of the Day
ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER
He had barely finished one campaign — the Terminator 3 junket — when he began another, his bid to become California's Governor. Cue the sneering. And indeed the recall election began as a 250-candidate, porn-star-and — Gary Coleman circus. But voters warmed to Schwarzenegger's toss-the-bastards theme, and he helped inspire a 20% increase in turnout. In the early hours of Oct. 8, he stood alone as the decisive victor.
TONY BLAIR
The Prime Minister paid dearly for sending troops to join what many Britons called "Bush's war." Blair, shown outside his children's room at 10 Downing Street, had to watch hordes march past the residence in protest. His reply? "People say you are doing this because the Americans are telling you to do it. I keep telling them it's worse ... I believe in it." When Saddam was captured, Blair called it a "time for celebration but also a time ...to unify."
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JESSICA LYNCH
As she will tell you herself, the tale that she mowed down the enemy while under fire and was taken prisoner only after being shot and stabbed was just a myth. The truth: her convoy was attacked; her legs were broken; and she was dramatically rescued days later. Lynch was no war hero, but she inspires by giving credit to others — to her rescuers and to Private First Class Lori Ann Piestewa, Lynch's best friend, who died that day.
L. PAUL BREMER
"Ladies and gentlemen, we got him." So said Bremer following Saddam Hussein's capture, and then, as cheers rose, Bremer teared up. In that moment came a glimmer of the weary responsibility that proconsuls throughout history have borne. As head of the Coalition Provisional Authority, he must try to help Iraqis rebuild even as he protects U.S. political, security and commercial interests. The balancing act requires finesse and boldness, suits and work boots.
JIANG YANYONG
When SARS hit China in 2002, the regime sought to squash the news. By April 2003, SARS may have infected thousands, but some hospitals emptied their SARS wards when U.N. health officials visited. Retired army doctor Jiang couldn't bear the cover-up and told TIME and other outlets the truth. Finally, the Health Ministry began an education campaign that helped contain the killer virus.
KIM JONG IL
The overconfident pose, the fawning lackeys, the weird eyewear that suggests that no one can speak directly to him — the North Korean leader is a poster boy for dictatorship. Will U.S. troops one day roust a scruffy Kim out of a spider hole? For now Washington is trying diplomacy to persuade him to dismantle his nukes. But this doesn't look like a man who's eager to welcome U.S. weapons inspectors.
VLADIMIR PUTIN
He has been called a "bureaucrat thrust forward in history." If so, in 2003 the Russian President compensated. He seized effective control of both the media and the ballot box. Putin's party swept the December elections, leading some observers to cry foul at the margin of victory. His regime also arrested a tycoon who just happens to fund Putin's political rivals. How does one spell "undemocratic" in Russian?
SANDRA DAY O'CONNOR
She has served on the Supreme Court for 22 years, but it was in 2003 that O'Connor may have reached the apogee of her powers. As the swing vote in several 5-to-4 rulings, O'Connor brought her pragmatic, just-right-of-center judicial approach to some of the court's biggest decisions. Campaign-finance restrictions, the use of race in university admissions, California's "three strikes" laws — all were upheld last year with her nod.
LEBRON JAMES
When he made his NBA debut in October, the 18-year-old Cleveland Cavalier faced empyrean expectations and a crush of journalists. Not only was he the No. 1 draft pick, plucked straight from high school, but he had already signed a $90 million deal with Nike. The 6-ft. 8-in. James offered a respite from the sordid drama of former boy wonder Kobe Bryant, who faces rape charges. And despite all the attention, James has maintained his game and his poise.
DICK GRASSO
After he got the New York Stock Exchange up and running within days of the 9/11 attacks, the N.Y.S.E. chairman became a symbol of the country's resilience. But he was forced from the chairmanship two years later and became an emblem of corporate greed. Grasso resigned when it was revealed that he would receive $140 million in deferred pay, a staggering sum approved by the corporate titans he was charged with regulating.
FRANK GEHRY
Los Angeles is often dismissed as a cultural wasteland, but Gehry may have changed that with his design for the Walt Disney Concert Hall, the new home of the L.A. Philharmonic that was unveiled in October. With its curvaceous exterior and acoustically adroit interior, Gehry's building bestowed on the city an important architectural landmark and proved that L.A. residents actually do go to the symphony.
JON STEWART
Journalism stars are made in times of war: Edward R. Murrow in World War II, Morley Safer in Vietnam and now, with his deskbound coverage of the fighting in Iraq, The Daily Show's Stewart. As he incessantly points out, he plays host on a fake newscast on a basic cable channel (Comedy Central), but this allows him to be critical, arch, incredulous and relevant, to the delight of viewers and the envy of many real journalists.
HOWARD DEAN
As 2003 began, he was virtually unknown — a short, thick-necked hockey dad who used to be Governor someplace up North. As the year ended, he emerged to fire an entire party's soul. Not a single Democratic primary vote has been cast yet, and Dean's antiwar rhetoric, so stirring to the left, may sound tinny long before November. But his savvy Web fund raising and spare-no-fools talk changed the political game in 2003.
THE GOOGLE GUYS
Young, nerdy, ready to IPO: Larry Page, Eric Schmidt and Sergey Brin made it seem not so much like 2003 but 1999. Page and Brin created the Google.com search engine in '98 and quietly built it into the Web's largest. Now they and CEO Schmidt are planning an IPO that could raise $2 billion. Competitors are swirling below, but who else has invented a new verb? If you need info on a new bar, new film, new fling, whatever — you Google 'em.
QUEER EYE FOR THE STRAIGHT GUY
O.K., so it's a product-placement show. It venerates ostentation, trades in gay stereotypes and urges men to develop personal relationships with...hair products. But we love it. An average of 2 million people watch, clockwise from left, Kyan Douglas, Ted Allen, Carson Kressley, Jai Rodriguez and Thom Filicia teach clueless heterosexuals about window treatments and Gewurztraminer. The show may do little to advance gay rights, but it is inspiring a nation full of well-dressed metrosexuals.
- John Cloud and Michele Orecklin