Summary: For the second year running, U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) figured prominently in 2009 year-end lists. The Minnesota Independent has a concise overview. … One-year retrospective: One year ago today, on January 21, 2009, Aubrey Immelman reported that in his inaugural address President Barack Obama promised to “begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people” and forge “a hard-earned peace in Afghanistan,” and that his promise to end the war in Iraq was on the agenda for the first full day of his presidency, January 21, 2009, when the new commander in chief was scheduled to meet with his top national security aides and senior commanders.