Big Year On All Fronts: War, Economy, Politics Worst Bear In 71 Yrs Top 10 stories of 2002 highlighted challenges nation faced after 9-11.(A)

Byline: TERRY JONES

War with Iraq and an ailing economy were uppermost on Americans' minds at the start of 2002. As 2003 dawns, little has changed.

Still, Iraq and the economy weren't Americans' only concerns in 2002. Hardly a month went by without some shattering news.

Corporate scandals. Terrorists' bombs. The scandal that shook the Catholic Church. A U.S. midterm election that put the GOP in control of the White House and Congress for the first time in decades. And in the background, the looming war with Iraq.

To better put into perspective the momentous events of 2002, we've created our Top 10 news events of the year. There were lots of choices. So we studied readers' letters, took the pulse of Americans in our IBD/TIPP Polls, consulted dozens of news sources and asked our reporters what should be on the list. Here it is.

** 1. War in Iraq. Last January, President Bush included Iraq in the "axis of evil" and said the only remedy for its ills was "regime change." Many potential allies, including Russia and France, dragged their feet on taking military action. Bush went through the U.N., which passed a new resolution requiring inspections of Iraq's weapons facilities.

U.N. inspectors will issue their final report on Iraq's compliance with sanctions this Jan. 27. After that, it's unlikely the issue of what to do with Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein will remain in Bush's in-box for much longer