sunny from washington the mclaughlin group. the american original. for over two decades the sharpest minds, best sources, hardest talk. it's the 30th annual mclaughlin year-end awards, 2011, part one. here is the master of ceremonies, john mclaughlin. >> biggest winner of 2011, pat? >> momentum year of the profit down. islam is the most powerful force in the world today. >> a positive nod to the arab

youth protesters but the wall street crowd which has changed the political agenda and put the concerns of the 99% on the national scene. >> the navy seals who dispatched osama bin laden with lethal efficiency and did us all proud. >> i will give it to newt gingrich, john. if that surprises you because i think he went from loser to winner most effectively this year. i am not going to say what happens next year. >> what am i doing, friends? >> let's her it from car mack the magnificent. >> johnny carson, remember him? the biggest winner of 2011 the arab street. long dismissed as an implement if not a mythcal force. 2011 was the year when arab street rose unpassed from tunisia to egypt, from yemen to

libya. the arab street brought to life the arab spring. the biggest winner of 2011. "biggest loser," pat? >> penn state and joe paterno, sadly. >> elmore. >> >> john corzine, who has become a symbol of everything wrong with the political and financial elite. >> it's one thing to lose $1.2 billion in the market. it's another thing to lose it and you don't know where it went. >> how can you possibly trace that volume of money? >> how can you possibly lose that volume of money? >> corzine is a nice guy. you know him at all? >> he trashed new jersey and then trashed this firm. >> so many losers this year, john. i gave a tie to anthony weiner and the news of the world newspaper. >> the biggest loser of 2011, the early obama economic team.

geithner, goolsbee, bernstein, they will all be associated with a plan that led to 9% unemployment, to anemic economic growth and it a $4.4 trillion added to the national debt. the biggest losers of 2011. the best poll cities? >> chris christie. he stayed out of the presidential race wisely. he is a republican who cut the budget at the same time retained his popularity. >> best politician hillary clinton who is no longer seen as a politician. has won the hearts of people around the world and even in this country. >> do you think she is presidential material? >> yes. whether she'll run, i don't know. >> rich? >> hands down paul ryan. he swung his caucus around a brave and bold budget. unlike many of his critics, he is civil, responsible and honest. >> another surprise, john. allen west who came in as a tea party favorite and has proved

to be, over time, an independent thinker, believe it or not, who outraged other tea partyers by supported raising the debt ceiling. i think he is a rising talent. >> what does he do for a living? >> he is a congressman -- well, he is a former army colonel. an iraq war veteran. republican from florida. caused quite a ruckus against the democrat party chairman. >> best politician of 2011 as noted here, new jersey republican governor chris christie. christie didn't want to run for the presidency. he says i am duty bound to new jerseyans. it's hard for a politician to put ego aside. best politicians. after all, you were in a sense a politician. you ran for the presidency two or three times? >> very successfully. >> what was the name of that party? >> it was the reformed party. we can't find it, john.

>> it's in the canal. next category, worst politician. >> i think dominique strauss- kahn, the future president of france. what were you thinking of? >> he is not staying with the news. he was set up, pat. >> i don't care whether he was or not. >> he was framed. >> is this scoopville? >> there was enough guilt there that he was easy to frame, i'm afraid. i give a joint award to the republican governors of wisconsin, scott walker, ohio john casick, rick scott, florida. they all blew enormous leads by overreaching and pushing a far right agenda. >> worst politician was hosni mubarak. his corruption and tone deafness created the predicate for that revolution overturning the entire order of the middle east. >> we became aware of when we saw where he put the billions of dollars and that had accumulated. >> he invested with corzine, egypt would have been even worse off.

>> are you taking me seriously on my defense of hosni? not a defense -- >> on what basis? >> i mean, he had a lot of money. he was salting it away. i don't like that about him. but he was our ally, wasn't he? >> he was, but he lost his people. that's a bad politician. >> silvio berlusconi. i mean, how can you beat the guy who -- he bought his way into office. didn't know when it was time to leave. but we're going to miss him because he is so much fun to comment about. and to say his name. >> worst politician of 2011 barack obama. he wants to create jobs and put forward a jobs bill priced at $450 billion, pat. many democrats in the house and the senate face tough races into 2012. they won't vote for the $450 billion bill. many won't even be seen with him. if a president cannot inspire support and cannot instill

fear, that makes him the worst politician. politician. not human being. okay, pat, most defining political moment. >> the fall of hosni mubarak, the beginning of the arab spring and the rise of islam around the arab world. >> are you believing that on its worth, arab spring? >> no, i think you have been. >> i say the debt ceiling debacle which drove the approval of congress down to single digits and really has alieniated this country with regard to looking at washington, thinking washington can get anything done. >> it was when president obama rejected his own simpson debt commission showing he was going to play the role after cowardly demo gog. >> arab spring was the defining moment or bunch of moments leading to similar uprisings around the planet like occupy wall street. it was your open protests. >> the most defining political

moment, the withdrawal of the last u.s. troops from iraq. the withdrawal will bring it to an end nearly nine years of war that cost over $1 trillion and nearly 4500 u.s. lives. it may be remembered as the worst foreign policy decision in u.s. history. turn coat of the year, pat? >> rich lowry. paul ryan is a real hero. i agree with that. and newt, as soon as he proposed his budget, newt turned around and stabbed him in the back for right wing social engineering. >> do you think night would lining to forget all of that? >> he certainly would. >> do you think it will live to damage him? >> he is going to live for a while, john. >> thing is newt was correct in his assessment of the ryan budget. and speaking the truth in washington always gets you in trouble. my turn coat is speaker john boehner, who walked away from the grand bargain with president obama. >> turn coats of the year were

all the newt gingrich aides who left him when he was down and betrayed their loyalty not for whales, but for rick perry. >> all right. my turn coat is mitt romney for turning against romney care. his own plan that they try run away from as fast as he can. >> let me see if i can enlarge the circle here. turn coat of the year great britain. in 2007 tony blair went to libya and met with moammar gadhafi. that meeting restored gadhafi's international standing. but when gadhafi's people turned on gadhafi, britain followed suit and kissed him off. turn coat of the year. >> the americans did the same thing. >> okay. most boring, pat? >> collective award, the super committee, john. good-bye, good luck. >> not only that, but they were

ineffectual. >> why did that happen? >> who was on it now, john? >> i could probably name who was on it and tell you what went wrong. i agree that most americans don't share that obsession. my most boring is rick santorum, who does nothing but complain that he is not getting enough air time in the republican debates. >> did you see the automatic mechanism that took over in the absence of a super committee vote? you saw that? >> the absence of a super committee vote? that was a sequester. john, we don't want to get into a sequester. >> it's a holiday show, john. no sequesters. the most boring politician -- >> is the legislation devised that way? >> the whole thing was a disaster. >> well, you know, you have an automatic mechanism take over if the super committee can't reach a vote. who put that together? >> congress did. >> they just wanted to get out of 9 debt limit and this was the mechanism to do it. >> was it obama's idea to do

it? >> can i tell you the most boring politician of the year? barack obama. we are told how invigorating and inspiring he was and we learned this year he is all too pedestrian. >> what do you think? >> eleanor and i are thinking on the same lines with rick santorum. buddy who complains about not being in the debates. >> most boring. green energy. solar, wind, retrofitting, hybrid cars, hydroelectric. who cares? we all know that big oil rules and will continue to rule. most boring, but that doesn't mean green is not good. you got that distinction, pat? okay. most charismatic. >> will and kate and prince harry. i think one great thing this year was that wedding. and i thought they were all as

charismatic as they could be. >> are you a monarchist? >> no, but i have grown into an eld empire man. >> most charismatic is the fruit seller in tuneisha, who sparked the arab spring. >> he consumed himself -- >> right. but his -- what he did and his protest inspired a remaking of the middle east. we don't know the outcome yet, but i think a small d- democratic up rising is to be applauded. >> chris christie. every town hall meet something a auburn tube sensation waiting to happen. he is the most brash and fat politician in america. >> herman cain was the most charismatic politician of the year. maybe he was too charismatic in some ways. nevertheless. >> what does that mean? >> well, nevertheless. >> judge for yourself, john.

>> i mean, here is a guy who became frontrunner and was wide. >> okay. >> -- without a campaign staff. >> i'm surprised this eluded the others on the set. the most charismatic is george clooney. he has also used his likability to bring awareness to the humanitarian crisis in sudan. and clooney's charms with women. i think that speaks for themselves. they also contribute to make him an inspiration to males everywhere. wouldn't you say, pat? we'll be right back with more awards after this. ♪

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okay. bummest rap, pat? >> the rich are not paying their fair share of taxes.

>> eleanor? >> bummest rap, president obama hates business and everything else said about president obama on this show. >> rich? >> clarence? >> the bummest rap is that "the first round of stimulus created zero jobs." politifact of the congressional budget office says, no, one to three million. >> women are the weaker sex. women may still make less than men from the same work, but that pay gap is now at a record low today. and today women make up a majority of u.s. college graduates and over the past 30 years women have started twice as many businesses. i am woman. they ought to be singing that. hear me roar. best comeback, pat? >> i got to give it to newt. after the tiffany's and the greek islands and lost of his

new mexico staff -- new hampshire staff, he comes back to be the frontrunner. >> gaby giffords who came back to cast the vote on the debt ceiling debate after her tragic shooting in january. >> i would say the best comebacks are the late game dramatics forged by tim tebow, the single most exciting figure in american sports right now. >> amazing eleanor and i thinking alike again. gaby giffords. >> american fiscal responsibility. americans this year paid down that credit card and mortgage debt. very fiscally responsible. that energized consumers to shop this holiday season a record black friday. best comeback. most stagnant thinker, pat? >> barack obama. soak the rich, the same old stuff. the old obama of 2008 is gone. >> don't take it so personally, pat. stagnant thinker, grover norquist who drafted his no new taxes in the heyday of the 80s needs updating.

>> thomas freeman happens so much on his envy for china style planning. >> what's left of the birther movement. they are still hanging in out there. >> most stagnant thinkers, israelis and palestinians. another years of ups and downs, commings and going, highs and lows. in the end no solution to the 70-year-old conflict. most stagnant thinkers. okay. enough already. >> warren buffett. my secretary pays a higher tax. cut it out, warn. pay the woman some more money. >> go, warren, go. enough already, the republican debate and the kardashians. maybe they can all get together on the stage. >> rich? >> joe biden. his scott hartnell glorifycation are occasionally amusing but always tiring. >> donald trump and sarah palin. >> enough already. enough whining about political

partisanship. america is in crisis. the nation's future is in political play. consensus is essential. we will not be able to chart a clear direction without it. it may take one or two more election cycles for that consensus to build. until then the times call for enriching exchanges of views, and that means argument. rational argument. this show enough of whining and overargumentation. okay. worst lie, pat? >> worst lie? i just don't know where that money went, said john corzine. >> i'm just a historian, said newt gingrich. >> rich? >> worst lie, courtesy of occupy wall street and then president obama. the idea that some people are poor in this country because some people are rich. >> i have never done anything improper with anyone in my life. herman cain. even if it were true, it sounds like a lie.

>> worst lie, exdemocratic congressman anthony weiner. he tried blame his underwear photo on unnamed enemies. then he claimed he did not send the picture it a female college student. later recanted and resigned from office in disgrace. oddly, when his political career is not over. what do you think of that, pat? capitalist of the year? >> china. they are eating our lunch. >> newt gingrich. he ate our lunch. >> rich? >> peter keel. an original thinker who is pointing out the ways in which a four-year b.a., that whole model doesn't make sense any more. >> and a major contributor to national review. >> i wish. >> warren buffett who not only is talking good common sense about inequality, but also is buying a hometown newspaper to keep it in business. i love the man. >> ariana huffington.

her online publication, the huffington post, was acquired by aol yielding her a cool $350 million payday. capitalist of the year. we'll be right back with person of the year. get the technology they love, on the network they deserve.

and video chat with up to 9 of your friends with the galaxy nexus by samsung, or get the samsung stratosphere, and for a limited time, get twice the data for the same low price. verizon. okay. here it is. person of the year. pat? >> recep erdogan of turkey. he has brought his country up in the entire middle east. he is turning his back on

europe. people accuse him of neo- ottomanism. the turks have a fast economic growth. but turkey is a real force in the world. >> eleanor? >> i give it to steve jobs, who died earlier this year. in his death he will have continued influence over our society. more influence than any of the politicians alive today who we have discussed in this program. he was a truly original thinker and a person who has left us with a life that we could only have dreamed of. >> rich? >> angela merkle who is in the center of a vast historical mistake in europe. namely, to create an undemocratic european super state. >> eleanor chose my first choice, steve jobs. and i agree he has had more of an impact on this year and future years than other big names. my second choice was angela

merkle. >> right. >> that's what happens when you go last. >> we get one person of the year. person of the year is republican congressman paul ryan. that's echoing a thought here earlier. he critically examined the irs tax code and how it effects vis and corporate america. he offered a plan for how to revise the monstrous current u.s. tax code. next week join us for the mclaughlin 2011 awards part two. merry christmas and bye-bye.