Washington, Jan 2 (ANI): Year 2009 had numerous moments that stood out for their sheer, unforgettable strangeness in the world of politics.
Politico.com has enlisted the top 10 weirdest moments of 2009.
1. Obama gets sworn in - twice
Barack Obama's swearing-in ceremony as US President drew a crowd of millions. But when it came time for Chief Justice John Roberts to administer the oath, he fumbled the words, putting the adverb "faithfully" in the wrong place. Obama balked, but followed Roberts's example, misstating the oath. He was made to take the oath again.
2. Sarah Palin resigns
Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin sudden resignation from the governorship remains one of the year's most talked about political event. After deciding not to run for reelection in 2010, Palin said, she had concluded it did not make sense to stay in office as a lame duck.
3. Sheila Jackson-Lee addresses Michael Jackson's funeral
"I can tell you as a member of the United States Congress, we understand the Constitution, we understand laws and we know that people are innocent until proved otherwise. That is what the Constitution stands for."
So declared Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee (D-Texas) at the Los Angeles memorial service for Michael Jackson. At a moment when other politicians hesitated to honour the controversial musician, Jackson-Lee delivered an enthusiastic paean to the man she called a "global humanitarian" before a crowd of tens of thousands.
4. Patti Blagojevich teams up with Heidi and Spencer on reality TV
After the Illinois Legislature impeached Gov. Rod Blagojevich, a judge denied the governor's request to appear on the reality show "I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here." Patti happily stepped in, flying to Costa Rica to join "The Hills" star and other nominally famous people for misadventures in the jungle.
5. The White House beer summit
After years of debating which politicians Americans would want to have beers with, Washington finally got to see a president drinking with a couple of guys. Obama decided to host the event after getting embroiled in the controversy over Harvard Professor Henry Louis Gates Jr.'s arrest.
The White House beer summit of July 30, 2009, was anything but a casual affair - and had more to do with damage control than with alcohol.
6. Sanford confesses
Known for his clean image, conservative politician Mark Sanford attracted criticism after vanishing for several days in June, leaving his staff with only vague information about his whereabouts, the prospective 2012 presidential candidate resurfaced at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Georgia. Hours later, he held a tearful press conference announcing that he'd been in Argentina visiting a mistress.
7. Tom DeLay goes on "Dancing With the Stars"
Former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas) burst back into public view on the show "Dancing with the Stars" last fall but eventually withdrew from the competition, citing stress fractures in his feet.
8. Bloomberg, Gingrich and Sharpton team up
During the 2008 campaign, candidate Obama pledged to bring together new political coalitions in the White House. Few could have imagined he'd end up hosting an Oval Office meeting with such an unlikely trio as New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and the Rev. Al Sharpton.
9. Who's the leader of the GOP?
A month after Michael Steele won the chairmanship of the Republican National Committee, he found himself scrambling to make peace with Rush Limbaugh.
10. Doug Hoffman says ACORN stole his election
The small-town accountant, who forced moderate Republican Dede Scozzafava from the race as his bid for Congress on the Conservative Party line caught fire, fell narrowly short of beating Democrat Bill Owens at the polls. But after conceding defeat on Nov. 3, Hoffman "un-conceded" a few weeks later and released a statement blaming the community organizing group ACORN for his loss. (ANI)
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