I'd be the first to admit that I've made plenty of mistakes and bad predictions in my time. In most cases, I let ego or inexperience get in the way of good judgment, though sometimes it has been a matter of not having enough information.

Regardless, some of the forecasts highlighted by BusinessWeek in an article entitled "The Worst Predictions About 2008" reflect more than just bad decision-making. In my view, they are in the realm of shill-dom and the criminally corrupt. See if you can figure out which ones I'm referring to:

Just about everybody got wrong-footed by 2008, but some people's mistakes were truly spectacular

Here are some of the worst predictions that were made about 2008. Savor them—a crop like this doesn't come along every year.

1. "A very powerful and durable rally is in the works. But it may need another couple of days to lift off. Hold the fort and keep the faith!" —Richard Band, editor, Profitable Investing Letter, Mar. 27, 2008

At the time of the prediction, the Dow Jones industrial average was at 12,300. By late December it was at 8,500.

2. AIG (AIG) "could have huge gains in the second quarter." —Bijan Moazami, analyst, Friedman, Billings, Ramsey, May 9, 2008

AIG wound up losing $5 billion in that quarter and $25 billion in the next. It was taken over in September by the U.S. government, which will spend or lend $150 billion to keep it afloat.

3. "I think this is a case where Freddie Mac (FRE) and Fannie Mae (FNM) are fundamentally sound.