IT'S been a year of confessions. "We were wrong, terribly wrong," admitted former Defence Secretary Robert McNamara on his war against Vietnam. Last night I did something completely insane," confessed Hugh Grant after doing something with Divine Brown that boosted both their careers and that of girlfriend Liz Hurley.
Confession was the theme of Louis Farrakhan's million-man march in Washington, in which African-Americans made an appeal for respect.
President Clinton confessed tofundraisers in Texas that however mad they were that he raised taxes in 1993, "I think I raised them too much too."
The most shocking confession was made by Susan Smith, who admitted killing her two children to win over a boyfriend.
The most shocking non-confession came from OJ Simpson, who was acquitted of murdering Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman.
Simpson's eight-month trial dominated 1995, and made celebrities out of house- guest-of-the-year Kato Kaelin, and lawyers Johnnie Cochran and Marcia Clark. It also made an anti-hero out of detective Mark Furhman, whose name is now synonymous with police racism.
Michael Jackson also didn't confess and beat the rap for child molestation. His new bride, Lisa Marie Presley, assured the world they had a real marriage, saying "Do we have sex? Yes, yes, yes."
Americans found heroes in 1995 in the form of Scott O'Grady, the F-16 pilot plucked from Bosnia where he dined on ants, and sporting legend Cal Ripkind, who broke the baseball record of 2,130 consecutive games.
Actor Christopher Reeves proved himself capable of Superman-type heroism as he struggled to overcome paralysis after an equestrian accident.
Many Americans struggled heroically in 1995 to overcome the continued "downsizing" of the US work force. A MacNelly carton in the Chicago Tribune showed a politician boasting how the economic recovery had created 7.8 million jobs. "And I have three of them," muses the waiter.
The most evil act of the year was the Oklahoma bombing in April, which killed 169 people and focused attention on the weird paranoia of armed militias. What really scared people was the clean-cut image of the alleged bomber, Timothy McVeigh.
The Unabomber scored a victory for terrorists everywhere by blackmailing the New York Times into publishing his lengthy manifesto by threatening to bomb airports.
In Japan, three US marines raped a teenage girl, stirring anti-American fury. At home Senator Bob ("The Tongue") Packwood resigned for altering diaries in which he kissed and told.
Ronald Reagan announced he had Alzheimer's disease; his son Michael joked: "He tries to forget that Clinton is President."
Bill Clinton wondered aloud about his relevance as president early in the year, but began a recovery by bringing the country together after Oklahoma. Going into 1996 he has over 50 per cent approval rating.
This was achieved by moving with the help of former Republican strategist Dick Morris steadily toward the political centre, where the President manages to express concern for both a balanced budget and the nation's needy.
The candidate who won in 1992 on the slogan "It's the economy, stupid" discovered in 1995 the joys of foreign policy. He goes into a re-election campaign as the champion of democracy and peace in Haiti, Bosnia, the Middle East and Northern Ireland.
Republicans spent much energy and time in jockeying to take on Clinton in 1996. Some early hopefuls quit, including Governor of California Pete Wilson and former Vice President Dan Quayle.
GENERAL Colin Powell went on a book tour to find out if people wanted him to run. They did. He didn't. He couldn't find the "commitment or passion" for the campaign made millions through book sales before bowing out.
Senate majority leader Bob Dole leads the Republican field. He has distanced himself from Newt Gingrich, who started the year as the triumphal architect of a new, more conservative America but ended it fighting ethics questions and public suspicions that he is just another blowhard.
The fizzling of the Republican revolution was good news for demoralised Democrats, who lost the House and Senate in 1994. They still may not regain Congress; Republicans are raking in more campaign money, and have captured the South.
But the Republican assault on the White House may also fizzle. Age is against Bob Dole. At 73 he would be the oldest man ever inaugurated. He boasts that his cholesterol, blood pressure and weight are lower than Clinton's.
His rivals include Senator Phil Gramm (whose Texas twang qualifies as a foreign language), former governor Alexander Lamar (famous for his plaid shirts), Senator Richard Lugar (who?), isolationist Pal Buchanan (isolated on the right), and millionaire Steve Forbes, a supply-sider who has spent millions to buy attention. Watch out for Forbes.
Ross Perot of "United We Stand" formed a new political party in 1995 saying he would change history; David Letterman suggested that it be called "United We're Nuts".
Bill Clinton benefited from Perot's spoiling tactics in 1992. This time Perot may be insignificant.
But Clinton goes into the fight with everything in his favour. He is the first Democratic president in three decades not to be challenged by a primary opponent. He can use his war chest solely to enhance his image.
My prediction for 1996? Clinton/Gore, another four.