it is that time of year. we all like to reflect on what s happened. look forward to what s ahead. we have gathered the best, the brightest here at cnn to help us digest all of this. i will go around the table real quick here. host of cnn s new podcast called america s house. cnn pentagon correspondent barbara starr. jill dougherty. covers foreign fairs at the state department. and jeanne meserve, our homeland security guru. okay, guys. i m going to start this off, kick it off here. this year at the white house. there were would poignant moments notably two african-american women that helped president obama evolve in his leadership. agriculture employee shirley sherrod, you may recall, who was