Who Will Be Person of the Year 2008?

Barack Obama? Gordon Brown? Michael Phelps? Click through the pros and cons of our finalists for Person of the Year and vote for the candidates you think are most deserving.

Ben Bernanke

time person of the year walkup 2008 U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman BEN BERNANKE

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Pro: Expanded the Fed's power and opened up lending windows for struggling financial institutions, which stabilized a jittery market. By studying the lessons of the Great Depression — don't let the banks fail — he might have prevented another one.

Con: Should have seen the mortgage crisis coming. By rescuing Bear Stearns while letting Lehman Brothers fail, created ill-timed market confusion.

Poll Results

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