The wildest and wackiest claims of 2009

This is the season of 'lists', especially regarding the past year or decade. My favorite, so far, is from www.politifact.com, which rates the political comments of politicians, celebrities, and chain emails:

Aaaaah-choooo! Vice President Biden said that when one passenger sneezes on a plane, "It goes all the way through the aircraft."

Will they transmit back to KAOS headquarters? A chain e-mail claimed people who opt for the public option in the Democrats' health care plan will have microchips implanted in their bodies.

Below the belt: Rush Limbaugh claimed that President Barack Obama wants to mandate circumcision.

Sarcasm you can dance to: Singer Paul Hipp used World Health Organization figures in a song mocking U.S. health care.

History repeats itself: Facing criticism that his policies will lead to socialism, President Barack Obama said President Franklin Delano Roosevelt was called a socialist, too.

Picture not-quite-perfect: Bloggers said an aerial photo showed more than 1 million people attended the tea party rally in September, but the photo was taken at a 1997 Promise Keepers rally.

An epic work, but it lacks character development: Sen. Orrin Hatch claimed that the Senate health care bill is longer than Tolstoy's War and Peace.

Line 17, Guns. Include total from Schedule G, handgun and automatic weapons, if required: A chain e-mail claimed that you must list all your guns on your 2010 tax return.

Check your math: President Barack Obama claimed the United States was one of the world's largest Muslim countries.

He still hasn't found what he's looking for: U2 lead singer Bono mixed up figures about AIDS relief and foreign aid.

Woof woof! Glenn Beck claimed that the Democratic plan offered health insurance for dogs.