The year 2006 was a busy one indeed. It seemed like the news cycles ran the complete gamut from the ongoing wars in Afghanistan and Iraq to the Democratic victory in the November midterm elections, and from the nuclear ambitions of Kim Jong-Il and the ruling clerics in Iran, we were treated to the best and worst society has to offer. In this article I present my selections for top news stories from the past year. They are in no particular order and are simply a sampling of what I found to be the major news items in 2006.
1. Midterm Elections: The American public spoke up this past November and booted longtime incumbents from office in what could only be called a Democratic rout in the midterm elections. Of course, I think the elections were more a repudiation of Republican scandal, out-of-control government, and dissatisfaction with the war in Iraq than an endorsement of the Democratic Party’s agenda. But I guess intelligent people can debate that topic in due course.
2. War in Iraq: At the close of 2006 the war in Iraq had lasted about three years longer than most people expected. Americans had grown accustomed to what were referred to as “Nintendo Wars,” where television audiences were treated to smart bombs conducting precision strikes that resembled your kid’s video games. The country was not prepared for a drawn out insurgency with mounting American casualties and no end in sight.
3. Congressional Scandal: It seemed like every time I flipped on a cable news show that I was bearing witness to yet another congressional misdeed. Scandals were never in short supply with Duke Cunningham sentenced to prison, William Jefferson investigated by the FBI for having $90,000 of alleged bribe money in his freezer, Mark Foley and Tom Delay forced to resign, and the list goes on. We can only hope that 2007 will be a better year, but I fear that hope is misplaced.
4. Travel Restrictions: After British authorities thwarted a terrorist plot to blow up commercial airliners headed to the United States, severe travel restrictions were implemented in Europe, Canada and America. Since the plot involved liquid explosives, everything wet was instantly banned: shampoo, contact lens solution, bottled water, etc. Rational thought has returned and a realistic threat assessment has been made. Slowly but surely travelers are adjusting and security experts are modifying procedures to accommodate air movement while trying to protecting the public.
5. Rumsfeld’s Resignation: People had been calling for his head for years, and after Democrats swept to victory in the midterm elections and Americans had voiced their frustration with the war in Iraq Donald Rumsfeld stepped down from his second tour as the nation’s Secretary of Defense.
6. Israel-Hezbollah Conflict: By far the biggest news story of the summer season was the Israeli invasion of Lebanon after the terrorist group Hezbollah launched rockets at the Jewish state and kidnapped two Israeli soldiers. Even Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said he did not expect the Israeli’s to launch a full-fledged invasion, a move that caught the entire world community by surprise.
7. North Korean Nuclear Test: In October the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea tested some sort of nuclear device, although the type of apparatus and relative success of the test remain unknown. The United Nations eventually managed to pass a weak sanctions resolution that has only been selectively enforced.
8. Illegal Immigration: Public outrage over the massive flow of illegal immigrants from Mexico spurred Congress into action, or should I say inaction. Congress authorized a barrier on the border, but did not allocate the funds to construct it and the country found its elected officials divided over the issue of amnesty for illegal immigrants already in the country.
9. Space Shuttle Landing: The Space Shuttle Discovery landed in Florida on December 22 after successfully completing its assigned mission. The Space Shuttle program has experienced significant problems of late and the successful launch and return of Discovery is a momentous achievement for NASA and the space program.
10. Saddam’s Death Sentence: The former dictator of Iraq was convicted of killing over one hundred Shiites after a 1982 assassination attempt. His death sentence is supposed to be administered through hanging and could happen as early as February 2007.
