The Year That Was

This is a day when many of us get a bit nostalgic. We take a few moments to reflect on the year gone by, and wonder about the twelve months to come. 1998 will surely be a year we won't soon forget.

For those of us in the news business, it will always be the year we were consumed by Bill and Monica, Ken and Linda. Before the story had run its course, the president would be impeached, two speakers of the House would resign, and the Senate would be poised for a trial - and it's still not over.

Sometimes it seems we talked about nothing else this year. But we did manage to cover other stories. There were the repeated threats and retreats from Saddam Hussein, followed by the eventual American and British air strikes on Iraq. We watched in sorrow as children were charged again and again with deadly violence at school, in Jonesboro, Arkansas, and Springfield, Oregon. We were shocked by the deaths of more than 250 people at two American embassies in Africa and of two Capitol Hill police officers.

Doctors got writers' cramp filling out Viagra prescriptions. We mourned Frank Sinatra, and cheered John Glenn as he went back into space. And even Americans who don't know a home run from a strike out rooted for Mark and Sammy.

It was a remarkable year. Many New Year's resolutions will be broken by next week, but one that we'll all be trying to hang onto is hope. Hope for the New Year to come. May it be good to all of us.

Happy New Year, everybody.

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