The Top 10 Everything of 2008

9. Greenspan's Reputation

The Ayn Rand enthusiast was nearly branded the God of Money. As Fed Chairman, his easy money policy after the dotcom collapse in 2000 seemed like the perfect policy prescription for what ailed us. And it was. Until the chairman refused to do what Fed Chairmen are supposed to: take away the punch bowl just when the party's getting good. By not raising rates quickly enough in a real estate bubble, Easy Al helped let the money flow to every high-risk, no document loan applicant extant. The former Fed Chairman was forced to admit that he was completely wrong about the risks in the system from subprime mortgages and the bonds sold against them. The man famous for his expository obfuscation was forced to admit: I screwed up.

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