Remembering 2000

When did you first figure out what Y2K meant? It took me a while, and by the time I'd done the math, 2000 was upon us. We worried about terrorists trying to disrupt the celebration of the new millennium (even if, technically, it was a year too early). But Jan. 1 came and went peacefully enough.

Still, the 21st century would prove to be the one that changed our view of how safe we were. The USS Cole was attacked by madmen on a dinghy. The next major attack would utilize larger, more lethal transportation. And still, America slept.

Election night was one of those moments for which we had prepared so carefully, and which, at the end, disintegrated into confusion. Despite the conspiracy theories, none of the networks was trying to mislead the public. We made our calls based on the information at hand. The information turned out to be flawed, and the country was plunged into 38 days of uncertainty that were bound to alienate part of the electorate. We all became familiar with absurd-sounding terms like "pregnant chad." Lesson: technology doesn't always translate to accuracy. It takes thinking people to tell the truth.

John Moody serves as the Senior Vice President, News Editorial for FOX News. He is responsible for both the design and editorial direction of FOX News Channel and oversees all story content for FOX News.