Hmmm. Where oh where did those pesky Republican Presidents go on the cover of TIME magazine? On newsstands now is a possibly oldish TIME special that I just noticed on my local go-to Barnes & Noble newsstand. An edition labeled for display until mid-February of 2026. It is titled as follows:                  Best of PERSON of the YEAR               Leaders Who Made a Better World Dominating the cover is a sparkling Taylor Swift on stage somewhere, with guitar, arms flung wide open, big smile on her face as she apparently is singing one of her hit songs. Just below her are six previous TIME Person/Man of the Year covers from over the decades. They feature: “The Guardians and the War on Truth: The Staff of the Capital Gazette on December 9” - Prominently listing the murder of journalist  President-elect  Jimmy Carter (in January of 1977 for 1976, the year Carter came from political nowhere to win the presidency) Bill and Melinda Gates and Bono as “The Good Samaritans” for 2005 The American Soldier featuring three uniformed soldiers in fighting gear for 2003. Greta Thunberg: The Power of Youth in 2019 President-elect Barack Obama in 2008  (It must be noted that the staff of the Capital Gazette are featured because they were subjects of a murderous assailant who disliked something that appeared in the Gazette. Five staffers were killed, two were wounded.)  Beneath the images of these six TIME covers are photos, although not on TIME covers, of Britain’s young Queen Elizabeth II, Astronaut Frank Borman and his two Apollo 8 colleagues, and last a color photo of President John F. Kennedy standing in front of an American flag as he gives a speech. Open this “Best of Person of the Year” issue and there is immediately something curious to be seen. Of the 48 people listed inside over the decades as “Person of the Year” or “Man of the Year” - there are seven Presidents of the United States. They would be Presidents FDR, Truman, Eisenhower, JFK, Carter, Obama and Biden. Other than the GOP’s Eisenhower, those selected by TIME are Democrats one and all. Again curiously, while Dwight Eisenhower is included, his picture and a good bit of the bio material accompanying his story focuses not on Ike’s presidency but on his time as the commanding General on D-Day and in World War II. His presidency - he was a Republican - is not in major focus. Amusingly, Russia’s President Mikhail Gorbachev was named Person of the Year in 1987. But, again curiously, in this issue that celebrates Gorbachev there is zero mention - none - that Gorbachev’s accomplishments on the international scene were made possible in the first place because of U.S. President Ronald Reagan seeking him out as a partner in ending the Cold War. Reagan made a point of negotiating in person with Gorbachev three different times, on one occasion inviting him to the White House to sign a nuclear agreement Reagan had negotiated with the Russian. That was a big deal - and as a young Reagan staffer in the day I was lucky enough to witness the Gorbachev arrival at the White House for myself. In fact, Reagan was selected more than once during and after his White House tenure as a TIME Man of the Year. Surely that would be a reason to include him in this TIME round up of “Leaders Who Made a Better World” over the decades. But alas, Reagan is nowhere to be found in this issue. Neither, for that matter are the Republican Presidents Nixon, Ford, George H. W. and George W. Bush. Every one of whom, like their Democrat presidential colleagues, had some contribution to make during their time in office. Indeed, the back cover of this issue features the images of 42 TIME covers from over the years. Among them are covers featuring Democrat Presidents Obama, Carter, Biden, Kennedy, Roosevelt and Truman. The only GOPer present is Eisenhower, and the main focus there is Ike as World War II General, replete with photo of a uniformed Ike in World War II talking to American troops getting ready to go into battle. But appearances by GOP Presidents Nixon, Ford, Reagan or either of the Bush Presidents? Much less the currently sitting GOP President Trump? All of whom more than arguably easily rank as “Leaders Who Made a Better World” in their time in office? Nothing. Are you kidding? That makes six GOP Presidents completely ignored by TIME in this issue, with recognition of six Democrats from FDR to Biden. Yet it is very safe to say that the group of former GOP Presidents from Nixon to the Bushes have indeed made the world a better place during their individual tenures. Whether launching a roaring economy or winning the Cold War, GOP Presidents have seriously made a better world in their times in office. That’s an awful lot of American history being ignored for what cannot help but be seen as decidedly partisan reasons, a national “news” magazine put together by a staff of “journalists” whose job is supposedly to revolve around the facts. Just the facts. But in reality, as this edition clearly shows, the TIME journos are clearly more involved with boosting Dems and freezing out Republicans. One thing can be said of this collective “Best Person of the Year” issue: TIME loves the Left. And can’t stand Republicans. Suffice to say: “Message received.”