When see-no-evil greed in mortgage lending practices caused global credit markets to seize up and very nearly brought some of the world's biggest banks to their knees, you know it's a propitious time to inaugurate a list of the dumbest executive moves of the year.

But boardroom blunders were hardly limited to Wall Street. Senior executives from coast to coast had plenty to be red-faced about in 2007.

Some were showering their significant others with too much money or not enough respect. Others were sticking with corrupt old practices they should have stopped, or bankrolling decadant new traditions that never should have started.

Appearing on Portfolio.com's list of the Ten Dumbest C.E.O. Moves doesn't necessarily mark a bad year for anyone.

But it does mean that the unlucky winners suffered an uncomfortable stretch that will not be forgotten soon.

And, so, our nominees... 

1. John Mackey of Whole Foods Market

Discovering the joy of internet message boards.

Whole Foods' C.E.O. John Mackey spent years sounding off on Yahoo! Financial message boards under a pseudonym— "Rahodeb"—cheerleading for everything from his company's financial results to his own haircut. Mackey's online alter ego was brought to light in July when someone actually read the fine print in a court filing by the Federal Trade Commission.

2. Paul Wolfowitz of the World Bank

Doing professional favors for his girlfriend.

Paul Wolfowitz was never very popular as head of the World Bank, so arranging a raise and transfer for his girlfriend, a bank employee, was more than enough ammunition for his colleagues to start agitating for his ouster. After a protracted investigation and Wolfowitz's continued refusal to resign, he finally stepped down in May.

3. Steve Jobs of Apple

Alienating early adopters with an iPhone price cut.

This September, Steve Jobs delivered Apple apostles a swift kick in the pants by slashing $200 off the price of Apple's $600 iPhone just two months after it debuted. After incensed early adopters raised a stink, Jobs tried to win back loyalty by extending a $100 store credit to the suckers—excuse me, consumers—who had paid the higher price.

4. Chris Albrecht of HBO

Acting too much like a Sopranos character.

Even if you're a C.E.O. as successful as Chris Albrecht was at HBO, where he oversaw development of that cable network's signature hits, criminal charges are pretty much guaranteed to earn you a pink slip. Albrecht was in hot water with the network in May after being arrested in Las Vegas and accused of assaulting his girlfriend. News of a previous assault emerged three days later, sealing the deal.

5. Greg Reyes of Brocade

Backdating stock options, and getting caught.

While Greg Reyes is hardly the only C.E.O. sullied with backdating allegations, he gets the honor of first conviction on the charge. In August a jury found Reyes guilty on 10 counts, including conspiracy to commit securities fraud, mail fraud, falsifying the books at Brocade Communications, and making false statements to auditors.

6. Klaus Kleinfeld of Siemens

Helping Siemens become a hotbed of corruption.

Under the direction of Klaus Kleinfeld, German electronics mega-brand Siemens became infested with corruption reminiscent of "old Germany"—$500 million in suspicious transactions was only one of the many bribery and blackmail scandals uncovered by federal authorities and Siemens itself. Kleinfeld maintains a nonchalant denial of his involvement in all things illegal, but was nevertheless kicked to the curb by his board in April.

7. John Browne of BP

Giving away company money, and lying about it.

While the media circus surrounding John Browne's personal life this summer seemed a bit unfair, indiscretions revolving around his love affair with Jeff Chevalier made the C.E.O. a legitimate target for criticism. Browne's biggest woes included perjury charges, accusations of misused company funds, and allegations that he had been sharing sensitive BP corporate information with Chevalier. He stepped down in May after a British court ruled that a London newspaper could publish details of his private life.

8. James Cayne of Bear Stearns

Fiddling while the firm burned.

The impending collapse of two Bear Stearns hedge funds was not enough to keep its chief from being spotted on the golf course and in bridge tournaments this summer. In the midst of the bank's critical turmoil in July, it looked like James Cayne was more interested in lowering his handicap than helping avert a credit crisis in global financial markets.

9. Stephen Schwarzman of Blackstone

Throwing a party only Kozlowski could love.

In February, while preparing Blackstone Group for its I.P.O., Steve Schwarzman threw a $3 million birthday party for himself in New York—a tycoon's equivalent of blowing a raspberry in the faces of all those people complaining about excessive executive compensation. About 500 of Schwarzman's closest friends sipped champagne and toasted the mogul's 60th, and probably were not thinking about the little people while they were at it.

10. David Neeleman of JetBlue

Overstaying his welcome at the airline he founded.

David Neeleman learned the hard way that he's more of a big idea guy than a detail guy: details like making sure planes land and take off when they're supposed to. Last Valentines Day JetBlue experienced an utter meltdown, with the airline operationally crippled by a winter storm and more than 1,000 flights cancelled over a six day period. After scrambling to regain customer trust—and losing millions of dollars in the process—Neeleman handed over the C.E.O. keys to Dave Barger, then the chief operating officer at the airline.