Obama's election voted top news story of 2008

Obama's election voted top news story of 2008
The epic election that made Barack Obama the first African-American president was the top news story of 2008 — followed closely by the economic meltdown that will test his leadership, according to US editors and news directors voting in The Associated Press' annual poll.Two other political sagas — the history-making candidacies of Hillary Rodham Clinton and Sarah Palin — also made the list.

Here are 2008's top 10 stories, as voted by us:

1. US ELECTION: Obama emerged from Election Night as a decisive victor and a symbol for the world of America's democratic promise.

2. ECONOMIC MELTDOWN: It was the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, and will cost the federal government well over $1 trillion in various rescue and stimulus packages.

3. OIL PRICES: The price of crude soared as high as $150 a barrel in July before crashing to $33 this month. In the U.S., the average price for a gallon of regular gas peaked at $4.11, then plunged below $1.70.

4. BEIJING OLYMPICS: China hosted the Olympics for first time, drawing praise for logistical mastery. The games themselves were rated a success, highlighted by the record-shattering performances of swimmer Michael Phelps and sprinter Usain Bolt.

5. CHINESE EARTHQUAKE: A huge quake in May killed 70,000 people in Sichuan province.

6. MUMBAI TERRORISM: Ten attackers allegedly sponsored by a Pakistan-based Islamic group terrorized India's financial capital in November, killing 164 people in coordinated attacks on hotels, markets and a train station..

7.HILLARY CLINTON: She didn't win, but Clinton came closer than any other woman in US history to becoming a major party's presidential nominee.

8. Iraqi who threw shoes at Bush asks for pardon: The Iraqi journalist who hurled his shoes at President George W. Bush is begging for a pardon for what he described as "an ugly act,"

9. IRAQ: The much-debated "surge" of US troops helped reduce violence after more than five years of war, but Iraq is still buffeted daily by bombings, ambushes, kidnappings and political uncertainty. A newly ratified U.S.-Iraqi security agreement sets a timetable for U.S. troop withdrawal by 2012.

10.RUSSIA-GEORGIA WAR: The two nations waged a five-day war in August ignited by a Georgian artillery barrage on the breakaway region of South.