WHO Won the Nobel Peace Prize?

The Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to whom?

The President?

Our President? Barack Obama, the President of the United States? Even though he's only been in office for less than nine months?

The Nobel Committee chose President Obama not on the basis of his promise but on the basis of what he's already achieved. The President, the committee noted, set a course for the U.S .to work with other countries, reached out to the Islamic world, and abandoned the arrogant foreign policy of George Walker Bush. The original nomination was made by a deadline of February 1, which meant that the President had only been in office twelve days by the time his name was in contention. Replacing Bush, apparently, was enough to qualify for the award.

Which meant that any Democrat vying to succeed Bush could have won it by succeeding him. Tom Vilsack, Nobel laureate? Who'da thunk?

Obama himself was surprised and humbled by the selection, and he accepted it in the spirit of moving forward to achieve peace. Ironically, he spent the day discussing the prosecution of the war in Afghanistan, which hasn't seen peace since 1978. Well, the conservatives went ballistic over the choice, insisting that it was a joke and that Obama was arrogant enough to accept it seriously. Some of them have found the the Nobel Committee to be anti-American and they think Obama deserves it because of his un-American policies. Yeah, whatever. If it's a joke, it's a pretty good joke, as it's good publicity for America's image.

I, like the President, am startled that Obama won an award he hasn't really done enough to earn. But I'm not surprised. Nothing surprises me anymore in light of the fact that these guys . . .

. . . Kiss . . . were nominated for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Shock me. :-O