* Out of five choices that do not include “Spread of Democracy in the Middle East.”

In a year that began and ended with the people of Iraq voting in their first free and fair elections — and included the withdrawal of Syria from Lebanon, Palestinian elections and parliamentary elections in Afghanistan in between — here are the five choices MSNBC.com gives you for its “You be the editor!” game:

Passing of the Pope: Understandable. Big story.

Hurricane Katrina: A no-brainer. On any list.

Earthquake in Pakistan: Unimaginable human tragedy. Definitely belongs.

U.S. Supreme Court at a Crossroads: Debatable, but not a crazy choice.

“Iraq toll tops 2,000; Bush ratings dip”: Are you nuts?

MSNBC lets us be the editors, within the constraints of their own blinkered news judgment. This is exactly what these Marines were talking about. The choice for big story is not “Iraq toll tops 2,000; Iraqis Vote by the Millions.” It’s all about Bush’s poll numbers.