Now it's down to the wire. We're not only in the last moments of the year but also a decade that so many of us wish would hurry up and end.

To those who were watching, 2009 turned out to be the curtain call for what many have dubbed "the decade from hell" or the "worst decade since the Great Depression."

Despite a tumultuous time for many, this year produced some exciting news in politics, and the commander-in-chief kicked it off and ended it with a bang. Click below to find out which memorable events made BV's Top 10 Most Whacked Out Political Stories:

1. President Obama's Inauguration: Fulfillment or Omen?

It must be 2009 when it takes two wars, an economic catastrophe of historical proportions, the fallout of the auto industry, a worldwide virus scare, and Jon & Kate Gosselin splitting up before you get a black president. But that's what happened this year, much to the joy of the millions who watched Barack Obama stand take the oath of office in January.

Make no mistake, Obama's first year was a beast, and his second year is likely to be as well, but by bringing the economy back from the brink, approving a controversial bailout of domestic car companies and banks, and getting a health care bill to the finish line as well as some vague climate agreement with the world's most polluting nations, he's done more to repair things in his first year than his predecessor did damage in eight.

2. Dude, Where's My Stimulus?

About $787 billion (or roughly what Beyonce's legs are insured for) was spent on bringing the country back from, well, you really don't want to know. Government funding went into federal contracts, grants and loans. If you ask the Obama administration, it will tell you more than 600,000 jobs were saved or created by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. But then there's that pesky unemployment rate that is hovering at more than 10 percent and is expected to stay there for a while.

3. Gates-Gate

Really, this one shouldn't be political at all, except that the president joined that notable and historically crowded club of politicians who comment on situations they should really keep quiet about. When Harvard African American studies professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. was arrested at his off-campus home in Cambridge, Mass., Obama was right. The cop who arrested Gates just for trying to get into his house "acted stupidly."

But as the case began to garner national attention, and the president's remarks were repeatedly dissected, Obama decided to bring Gates and Sgt. James Crowley to the White House for beer and pretzels. The lesson in this? When you're president, either keep your mouth shut about police misconduct or create a federal law against racial profiling.

4. Ohhh, a Wise Latina, eh?

Senate confirmation hearings for Supreme Court justices are never easy, but when you get a person of color, it's like driving your car over a road filled with star nails (see Thomas, Clarence). This time around, Bronx-born U.S. Circuit Court Judge Sonia Sotomayor ran the Congressional gauntlet at a time when people were looking to shoot down any judicial nomination coming out of the oval office. Controversy arose when pundits dug up a speech Sotomayor gave at University of California, Berkeley speaking of how her judgment and personal experiences might culminate.

But that wasn't satisfactory for the right-wing vultures, who called her every name in the book and called for her withdrawal as a candidate for Supreme Court justice. But this Latina woman was wise enough to ignore the idiocy and was easily confirmed by the mostly Democratic Senate.

5. Speaking of Right-Wing Vultures...

Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck spent the better part of the year competing to see who could win the title of America's biggest ***hole (actually, the competition is very close). Not long after President Obama's inauguration, Limbaugh loudly declared: "I hope he fails." Now I've heard a lot of idiotic things come from TV talking heads, both left and right, but to actually hope for the failure of the president is tantamount to hoping for the failure of the country and, hence, no different than an Islamic fundamentalist shouting "death to America."

Of course, Beck, not to be outdone, went on a rant that ended in him calling the president a "racist" with a "deep-seated hatred" for whites. WTF? Where the hell did that come from? And if he does hate white people so much, does that include his mother or the grandparents who raised him?

Not sure who gets the most cantankerous pundit award this year, but the real question is this: Why do people listen to them at all?

6. Is Tea-Bagging a Sport Now?

Over the spring and summer, a whole bunch of people held "tea parties" in an attempt to emulate the original 18th century Boston brood. Apparently, without realizing the vulgar connotation of the term "tea-bagging" they embraced it, and, of course, everyone else ran with it.

Now some of these folks were legitimately concerned about the direction of the economy, foreign policy, taxes and government action. And they were right to think that way. Government doesn't come under nearly enough scrutiny by common folk these days. However, a much larger chunk were people who, let's face it, would rather have a white president leading them to death camps than a black president brainstorming solutions. These were the people who swore we've put a foreign-born insurgent in the White House and that reforming health care would result in old people being euthanized. None of it is true, but ya can't let facts stand in the way of a good gripe session.

7. Roasting ACORNs

For a grass-roots community organization that just wanted to help people to help themselves, ACORN sure became a magnet for political criticism. Egad, they even attracted two conservative video vigilantes who tried to set up the organization by posing as a pimp and a hooker. That drove the House to yank grant funds away from the group, but it turns out that was unconstitutional, and the plan to shut ACORN down was foiled.

ACORN did perform an internal audit, which was way overdue. But it turned out that it was really no different than any other grass-roots groups with many chapters. The problem isn't with them, but with conservatives who hate poor people.

8. Sanford and Fun

Probably the best bit of political theater this year was when South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford got busted trying to do his extramarital dirt in Argentina while lying to his staff about it. But he was good at the disappearing act he pulled because no one, not even his family, knew where the heck he was. He had told everyone he'd just be hiking in the Appalachian mountains, but it turned out he was humping in the Andes. After that, there was the tearful Jimmy Swaggart "I-have-sinned-against-you" routine, followed by calls for his resignation. So far, Sanford has thumbed his nose at the suggestion.

His wife, Jenny, moved out of the governor's mansion and has since filed for divorce -- taking the kids with her. I think that might make Sanford the country's first gubernatorial babydaddy.

9. (Gay) Marriage Has its Ups and Downs

Politicians have been playing kickball with same-sex marriage all year. It was narrowly defeated in California in 2008, but when Iowa legalized it, other states took notice -- some positively, some negatively. Maine rejected it in a narrow state vote, and then the issue moved to New York, where it was defeated despite the support of most Democrats and Gov. David Paterson. Still Vermont and New Hampshire are on the bandwagon, with Connecticut, and New Jersey recognizing civil unions.

Last week, Washington D.C., mayor Adrian Fenty signed a bill legalizing gay marriage.

10. The Big, Scary, Funky, Hairy Health Care Monster

Unfortunately, this really isn't cheap science fiction, although the way it's described, it could be. Health care reform actually cost President Obama lots of political weight, placed Democrats exactly where the Republicans wanted them and has essentially left those most affected by it -- the American taxpayer -- more confused than when it was first put to Congress. As ambitious as the effort was, most liberals feel the bill is toothless and only benefits insurers, and most conservatives feel it will result in more taxes and bigger government.

Ultimately, since it passed in the Senate, there's likely to be more added to it by the time it kicks in, about 2013. Everyone is calling the version that got passed weak, but trust and believe, this is going to turn out to be one of the biggest political achievements of the last 50 years, not because of what it does right now, but because of how people will be affected by it in the future.

Now what has to be done is finding some reconciliation between the House bill and the Senate bill. Most people believe that the public option, which is what attracted liberals to health care reform in the first place, won't survive the process. Predictions say that the final bill Obama signs will look more like the Senate version -- but the reality is that this is only the beginning. There definitely will be a sequel to this adventure flick, and it will result in even more gray hair for the president.

Maybe we can have a health care party when he signs it, with stethoscopes and lollipops and what not.