More than a dozen Advertiser editors voted on the top Associated Press national and international news stories of the year.

We had no doubt that the top two stories would be the economic crisis of 2008 and the election of the nation's first African-American president, Hawai'i's Barack Obama.

Of the 14 editors surveyed, nine chose Obama's election as the most important story and five chose the economic story. Every editor had Obama or the economy as No. 1 or No. 2.

Local news editor Steve Petranik said the financial crisis was the clear No. 1 story.

"Everyone has been affected by the crisis and the consequences will play out for a long time," he said. "This tops the presidential election because the crisis eliminated John McCain's chance of victory and it has severely constrained the possibilities of Barack Obama's administration."

Design director Christine Strobel thought Obama's election was the top choice.

"To have elected a black man to the most powerful political position in the world just 50 years after the civil rights movement proves the nation's founding ideals are intact," she said. "Now we rely on Obama to get those ideals back on track."

Based on the editors' votes on the other big stories of the year, the next choice was the Beijing Olympics, which prompted worldwide protests and fascination. Next was the news of the surge in Iraq, which helped ease violence in the region but has still required the presence of U.S. troops. Editors then chose the earthquake in China on May 12 that killed more than 69,000 people and left 5 million homeless.

The rising cost of oil prices, which has plummeted in recent months, was the No. 6 story, followed by the emergence of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as the GOP vice-presidential nominee. The terrorist attacks in Mumbai that left more than 160 dead was No. 8, and close behind was Cyclone Margis in Myanmar that killed 130,000 people. The approval — and vote to repeal — gay marriage in California was selected as the No. 10 story.

Left off the list were many significant stories of 2008, including Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign, Roger Clemens' alleged use of performance-enhancing drugs, flooding in the Midwest, deadly hurricanes Gustav and Ike in the Caribbean and the U.S. Gulf Coast, Fidel Castro ceding power to his brother Raul, piracy in Somalia, turmoil in Pakistan and Afghanistan, a change of leadership in Russia, and the resignation of New York Gov. Elliot Spitzer and conviction of Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens.

None of the editors' lists were exactly alike, proving that it takes many minds and varying viewpoints to pick and choose the stories that are of most importance to you.

Mark Platte is senior vice president and editor of The Advertiser. Reach him at 525-8080.