If you doubt that politics dominated discussions this year, check out the top 10 words of the year, as judged by Merriam-Webster Online. Finishing first was “bailout.” Using them all in a paragraph, I came up with:

With much trepidation, the Arizona senator selected the Alaska governor with little time to vet her. How was he to know she’d be the subject of internal misogynist attacks for going rogue? This could’ve been avoided if the base allowed him his bipartisan pick for the vice presidency. But pushed to the precipice, the maverick blinked. Alas, with the economy tanking and a bailout looming, concepts like socialism were lost in the turmoil.

Looking back. What a difference a year makes. Last year’s paragraph could’ve been:

The Pecksniffian hypocrite starred in his own sardoodledom with a quixotic journey to uncover the charlatan’s true identity. Apathetic, yet curious, he solved the conundrum by facebooking his prey, then weathering the blamestorm. Victory was his. Woot!

Now that’s how you vet someone.

Optimism in recession. You know the economy is screwy when Wall Street records its biggest five-day rally in 75 years and the prevailing sentiment is gloom.

Stamps of approval. The feds are estimating that the number of Americans requesting food stamps in November will exceed the record set in 2005, following Hurricane Katrina.

It’s certainly distressing that unemployment and the rising price of food have caused some 30 million people to take this step, but the news isn’t all bad.

Every dollar spent on food stamps sparks $1.73 of economic activity, according to Mark Zandi, chief economist of the rating agency Moody’s Economy.com. In fact, Zandi’s analysis shows that food stamps generate a higher return than extending unemployment benefits and funneling money to state governments. And all three of those deliver a much bigger bang for the buck than tax breaks for businesses or extending the Bush tax cuts.

The key is whether the money will be immediately spent.

Says it all. In response to the controversy over which holiday displays should be allowed at the Capitol in Olympia, Rep. John Ahern, R-Spokane, said: “We are a Judeo-Christian nation, and we need to honor the different times of year for Christians, Jews and even Muslims.”

Love the “even” in that quote. Speaks volumes.

Pretty snappy. My 8-year-old daughter says she made up this joke: What do you call the president of the alligators? Croc Obama.

Guess the honeymoon is over.