What We Missed

6. Solar Energy? Not So Hot.
As solar panels have become a common solution for providing clean energy, it was revealed in the fall that a compound involved in their production may be the farthest thing from green: nitrogen trifluoride is used to treat titanium solar panels, and reports show that the gas may be 20,000 times worse than carbon dioxide at contributing to global warming. Worse yet, the Kyoto Protocol—which provides regulations for greenhouse gases—still says nil about protecting the environment from this gas.

7. Our New Missile-Defense Program ...in India
After meetings in New Delhi, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates quietly announced in February that the United States may develop a missile-defense shield on Indian soil. The program is admittedly in very early stages, but as countries around Asia ascend to economic power, meddling with a missile shield on the Subcontinent could have detrimental effects for stability between the United States and China, and tilt the power balance throughout the region.

8. A Kick in the Knee to Venezuelan Relations
In September, President Hugo Chávez of Venezuela decided to expel the American ambassador from his country after saying he had learned of an American plot to stage a coup against him. This was the low point in a year of deteriorating relations between the United States and the oil-rich South American nation.

9. Fairly Fighting AIDS ... Finally
As President Bush's approval ratings hovered at historical lows, one unsung success was his role in contributing billions to the fight against AIDS, mostly through funding programs in Africa. In 2008 he also signed a renewed and expanded President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, which, among other things, paved the way for reversing a longstanding regulation that prevents those with HIV from visiting or immigrating to the United States. The Department of Health and Human Services still has to approve this change, so the fight isn't over—but Bush won this round.

10. Church Refuses Protection From Pedophiles
When delegates from the Southern Baptist Convention met in June, they went on record to admit that sex abuse is reprehensible, sinful—and happening. That said, they refused pressure to create a database that would screen church workers and, presumably, prevent pedophiles from re-employment. It's a blow to many congregations around the country, as local churches are forced to rely on mere instinct (or God's will?) in the hiring and screening of their staffs.

© 2008