What were the notable political moments?

•   •   •   •   •   •

Meltdown of the year
George Allen
Only a year ago, the Virginia senator was talked about as a formidable '08 presidential candidate, someone who embodied the folksiness of George W. Bush but championed the platform of Ronald Reagan, all with an adoring base and an all-star cast of campaign operatives. But Allen shot himself in the foot at every opportunity: the infamous "macaca moment," the awkward handling of his Jewish heritage, clumsy denials of using racial slurs and a physical confrontation between his aides and a heckler. To Allen, we offer some good ol' country advice: Next time you find yourself in a hole, quit diggin'.

Honorable mention: House GOP Leadership
"It's not the crime, it's the cover-up" should have been the obvious mantra for House GOP leaders, who have long been perceived as an on-message machine. It all went out the window when the bigwigs bickered, argued and imploded in the aftermath of the Mark Foley scandal.

Dishonorable mention: Jeanine Pirro
"Hillary Clinton..." Pause. Pause. "Could I have page 10?" If the mixed-up pages of her announcement speech hadn't completely befuddled her, Clinton's opponent might have been this year's Spruce Goose -- a much-heralded operative dreamed up by the industry's best but unable to get off the ground.

Agree or disagree? Send us your thoughts!

•   •   •   •   •   •

The Michael S. Dukakis honorary award for excellence in political photography
That's no chad hanging from Katherine Harris' hand. Whether fair or not (and that's for one's political persuasion to determine), the failed Florida Senate candidate and GOP lightning rod was a common punchline on the late-night talk shows and in the blogosphere. So while she was not alone in her participation in Florida's annual Wausau Possum Festival (four governor hopefuls! two Senate contenders!), Harris "won" an auction giving her the privilege of handling the possum -- and the misfortune of having this photo light up the Internet.

•   •   •   •   •   •

Outstanding achievement in political spin
Mohawk + Caca = Macaca
It's fitting, right, that the year's worst meltdown (see above) would result in the year's worst, er, most spirited, spin? Allen's campaign staff deserves some credit though; with the "macaca" gaffe captured on video for all the world to see, the task of explaining the senator's use of a mysterious but clearly derogatory term to refer to an Indian-American man was practically impossible. Their attempt to spin the word as a non-racially-charged combination of "mohawk" (Sidarth's hairstyle was more like a mullet) and "caca" may have been utterly insipid, but it was certainly creative. It was the spin that launched a thousand T-shirts.

Honorable mention: Michael Steele
An "anonymous" briefing to tell reporters that the "R" next to your name is like a scarlet letter isn't the most auspicious way to launch a Senate campaign. Calling Bush your homeboy, though, in an attempt to recover -- now that's more like it.

Dishonorable mention: Cynthia McKinney & her posse
Cynthia McKinney's staff had to do more spinning than Rumpelstiltskin this spring, when the Georgia congresswoman hit a Capitol Police officer (see below). But a frustrated member of her entourage made McKinney's claims of racism around that incident look tame when he snapped at a reporter following her concession speech: "You wanna know what led to the loss? Israel. The Zionists. You. Put on your yarmulke and celebrate." No way to spin that hateful stuff into gold.

Agree or disagree? Send us your thoughts!

•   •   •   •   •   •

Outstanding achievement in political song
'Write Charlie Wilson In'
A little country twang never hurt anybody, right? That's the bet the DCCC took when it contracted Murphy Putnam Shorr & Partners to produce ads for Wilson in Ohio's rural 6th District. The jingle addresses Wilson's self-inflicted hurdle: failing to gather enough signatures to qualify for the primary ballot. He had to be written in, but the song must have worked. Not only did Wilson win his primary, he won the general, too.

Honorable mention: "Rent Is Too Damn High"
Combine the novelty of newly minted third parties and the persistence of the "housing bubble" debate, and you get Jimmy McMillan and his Rent Is Too Damn High Party. McMillan's noble effort failed in the New York governor's race, but he's not letting it get him down. A month later, he's up with a Christmas version.

Dishonorable mention: "Murkowski Victory Song"
In perhaps the most unfortunately titled song of the year, a crooner waxes poetic about "pumping oil" and "shooting wolves from DC-3s" in Alaska -- and concedes that Gov. Frank Murkowski "might not win awards for his charisma." Murkowski didn't make it out of the GOP primary. No word about those wolves.

Agree or disagree? Send us your thoughts!

MORE FROM NATIONAL JOURNAL

National Journal Section Front

Walter: GOP can break negative cycle Mercurio: Gunning for a new RNC Cook: How will Democrats govern? Brownstein: The GOP's dangerous imbalance Blumenthal: Pollsters pretty accurate National Journal Section Front