Most Fascinating Person of the Year

Do you know about this so called list Most Fascinating Person of the Year by Barbara Walters?
Who is Barbara Jill Walters?She is an veteran American journalist, writer, and media personality who has been a regular fixture on morning television shows Today and The View and other television shows. For this year list she has named this person below:

1. actor Will Smith,
   
2. actress and singer Miley Cyrus,
   
3. Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps,
   
4. Alaska Governor Sarah Palin,
   
5. actor Tom Cruise,
6. "The Pregnant Man" Thomas Beatie,
   
7. actress Tina Fey,
   
8. actor Frank Langella,
   
9. conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh and
10. Barack Obama.

I do find it there is some not so fascinating person in the list. i wonder what is the criteria actually? Could you have figure it out who is the Most Fascinating Person 2008? It is the president Barack Obama.

In 2005, she named Camilla Parker Bowles. In 2006, she named Nancy Pelosi and in 2007, Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling.