The folks at the Nobel Prize committee really outdid themselves this year. Not only did they award a literature prize to what appears to be a minor Eastern European writer, they’ve given the Peace prize to President Barack Obama on the grounds that he has remade the international community.
President Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for his “extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples,” a stunning honor that came less than nine months after he made United States history by becoming the country’s first African-American president.
The award, announced in Oslo by the Nobel Committee while much of official
Washington — including the president — was still asleep, cited in particular the
president’s efforts to rid the world of nuclear weapons.“He has created a new international climate,” the committee said.
He has? Look, I think he is a drastic improvement over the arrogant fool who sat in the Oval Office for the last eight years, but I can’t help but wonder whether the Nobel committee has allowed the previous administration’s failures to distort its view of the current president.
The fact remains that he has been office a little less than nine months and has accomplished little on the world stage. He may be committed to nuclear abolition, but so far all we have to show for that is some harsh words for Iran, some general goals and some talking.
On a separate but related point, I find it difficult to accept the awarding of a peace prize to a president who is still considering a troop buildup in Afghanistan.
Hank Kalet 
Worse still this will provide far too much fodder for the right wing nuts who will now gas on endlessly about Obama only being interested in what a bunch of socialists think. Is a bad move on so many fronts. He should have declined.
I think it demonstrates the value of the \”peace prize\” from a bunch of left wing socialists. Intentions are more important than results. The jury is still out on President's \”achievements\”. Personally, I think he's forgotten Clinton's famous dictum: \”It's the economy, stupid!\” He's allowing the bozo brigade to lead him down the yellow brick road to financial hell.It's probably too late for him to save his Presidency from this crack up. I hope we survive it. At least the proverbial drunken sailors spend their own money and eventually run out. This collision with economic reality is going to be painful. No economic Nobel for him. No chance for us.