HUH?

Here's one for the "you got to be shitting me" file. Obama wins Nobel Peace Prize. What the hell are they smoking in Oslo? Good lord! I used to believe in the legitimacy of this award. Not any more. To put Obama in the same category as previous winners (Martin Luther King, Jr. and his non-violent struggle for civil rights or Jimmy Carter and his work with Habitat for Humanity) is ridiculous. What really raises an eyebrow here is not only has Obama been president for less than a year, but the nominations for this award had to be submitted no later than February 1st, barely two weeks after he took office. It seems to me that the award has been made based only on potential and not actual achievement. Using that thinking, Hitler should have won it in his early days for his promises to unify Germany and raise it up out of the ashes and disgrace of World War One. Of course, after he attacked Europe and murdered six million jews, he might have been asked to give it back.

Some around the world have objected to the choice of Obama, who still oversees wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and has launched deadly counter-terror strikes in Pakistan and Somalia. The Republican National Committee said: "The real question Americans are asking is, 'What has President Obama actually accomplished?' It is unfortunate that the president's star power has out shined tireless advocates who have made real achievements working towards peace and human rights. One thing is certain - President Obama won't be receiving any awards from Americans for job creation, fiscal responsibility, or backing up his rhetoric with concrete action."

Members of the Norwegian Nobel Committee said their choice could be seen as an early vote of confidence in Obama intended to build global support for his policies. They lauded the change in global mood wrought by Obama's calls for peace and cooperation, and praised his pledges to reduce the world stock of nuclear arms, ease American conflicts with Muslim nations and strengthened the U.S. role in combating climate change. (What the hell does combating climate change have to do with world peace?). The citation read: "for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples. Only rarely has a person to the same extent as Obama captured the world's attention and given its people hope for a better future."

Obama said: "I am both surprised and deeply humbled. Let me be clear: I do not view it as recognition of my own accomplishments, but as an affirmation of American leadership on behalf of the aspirations held by people of all nations. To be honest, I do not feel that I deserve to be in the company of so many of the transformative figures who've been honored by this prize......." I agree. Tell them you can't accept it. Yeah, right. Well, maybe in a couple of years they will ask you to give it back.

Oh wait a minute. It's a mistake. He's actually won the Nobel Piece Prize, for that fine piece of ass he's married to.