I’m not sure if this list of ten potential nominees for Time Magazine’s man/woman/person/newsmaker of the Year is genuine list of the ten finalists, or just a web quiz to poll their web readership. Either way, here’s the list of ten: J.K. Rowling, Al Gore, Barack Obama, Condoleeza Rice, Steve Jobs, General David Petraeus, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Hillary Clinton, Hu Jintao, and Vladimir Putin.

Of that list, Petraeus jumps out as the man few had heard of in the beginning of the year, and who few thought he could accomplish what he has accomplished this year. Iraq’s far from perfect, but it’s in much better shape than it was in December 2006, and that has to rank with the greatest accomplishments of the year.

I’ll predict the presidential candidates won’t get it. The person elected president usually is named the year that they win or right after – Bush in 2004 and 2000, Clinton in 1992, Reagan in 1980, Carter in 1976, Nixon in 1971 and 1972 (with Kissinger), Johnson in 1964, Kennedy in 1961. (The elder Bush was named in 1990, and Clinton was named the year of the Lewinsky scandal.)

Time’s in a bit of a pickle because the American figures – the candidates, Jobs, and the Brit Rowling – had limited impact on the world as a whole. The international figures – Putin, Jintao, Ahmadinejad – have had limited if any impact on Americans’ lives. Plus, some would argue that each one is evil, and if Time skipped over Osama bin Laden in 2001, it’s tough to justify any of those three for this year.

Rowling is leading the poll on Time.com, and would probably sell the most copies.

But I can easily see Time picking Gore. He’s won every other award this year.