That didn't happen, and as Iowans prepare to caucus on Tuesday, the need for change has grown more acute. The beginning of the presidential cycle gives too much power to an unrepresentative few.
Another disappointment is that I still can't buy a six-pack at a Wawa. I had hoped this was the year I would see a headline proclaiming that Bud could be bought at a local convenience store. Nope. Big Brother continues to protect us by limiting our 7-Eleven purchases to cigs, soda, and snacks. Go figure.
Gov. Corbett is still promising to deal with the Liquor Control Board in 2012. I'm already drinking to that.
But my third wished-for headline did come true this year. I said I wanted to read this: "U.S. Special Forces Enter Pakistan." Five months before we really got Osama bin Laden, I wrote this hypothetical lead:
"ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - After receiving fire from militants on the Pakistan side of the border with Afghanistan near the mountainous Hindu Kush region, U.S. troops today pursued their attackers across that border. ...
"An exasperated President Obama today confirmed that U.S. Special Forces will continue to cross the Afghanistan border into Pakistan on the ground in search of Osama bin Laden, Ayman al-Zawahiri, and other al-Qaeda leaders."
An economic headline I wanted to read never materialized. But I continue to believe that a necessary step toward an economic recovery is psychological, and that we'll see marked improvements when talking heads start speaking in more optimistic terms. That still hasn't happened, which is a shame.
I also prayed that the U.S. Supreme Court would rule against Westboro Baptist Church and in favor of Al Snyder, the father of a Marine whose funeral was marred by members of the small Kansas congregation carrying hateful placards. Instead, the court sided with Westboro - a real sin.
