"...but I would be foolish to dismiss his importance to the art world (or Rush's for conservatism)."
No doubt, Rush has done a lot to advance conservatism over the years, but Man of the Year 2004 ? Yassar Arafat made more important news this year by dying then Rush did for all his efforts ...
Welcome to conservatism. Your transition in thinking is not yet complete. What the media considers important and news is not the standard that real conservatives use. And Time's past choices of people to be Man of Year are relevant only as illustrations of how out of touch with reality that the lame-stream media actually is. The media are not purveyors of news; they are the propaganda organ for the socialist left. What I have said about Time applies to the Noble committee when they get outside of science. Even within the scientific community the committee can't rid itself of its propagandizing functions in some of its awards.
RS, don't be afraid to voice your thoughts at FR, but be prepared to take some heat and if you see an abestos monitor on ebay, consider buying it.