The Anchoress
I said Fridays will be devoted to faith (and this one still will) unless there is breaking news, and unfortunately, today there is breaking news that cannot be ignored:
U.S. President Barack Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for offering the world hope and striving for nuclear disarmament in a surprise award that drew both warm praise and sharp criticism.
The bestowal of one of the world’s top accolades on a president less than nine months in office, who has yet to score a major foreign policy success, was greeted with gasps of astonishment from journalists at the announcement in Oslo. The Norwegian Nobel Committee praised Obama for “his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples. . . .Obama’s press secretary woke him with the news before dawn and the president felt “humbled” by the award, a senior administration official said.
Last night, completely unrelated to all of this, I twittered that I was beginning to feel like President Obama was Roy Schieder in All That Jazz, waking up every morning to look into his mirror and smile, “it’s Showtime!”
This, I guess, is his Oscar. Or his Golden Globe.
Or it is Norway’s attempt to soothe the Ego that last week left Denmark so wounded. Or it’s attempt to say, “we really do love you, Obama, please don’t throw us under the bus where you’ve thrown England, Israel, Poland, the Dalai Lama, France and the Pope, to whom you recently lied! We’re your friends, just like Castro, Chavez and Gaddafi! We’ll help you to define down terrorism!
My email box is loaded* with gloating gleeful idiocy from the left, all of it in the form of “nannynannybooboo, look what we have. A pretty box…” They’re not interested in whether the box has anything in it, but it sure is pretty. And all Obama had to do for it was say “hope” a bunch of times, take down a defense shield, do nothing but talk while Iran goes nuclear and treat Israel rather badly.
After Obama helps the world take the US dollar out of currency, there will be no further awards because none will be big enough. He’ll simply have to become the King of the World, which is pretty much what he’s been campaigning for, all along.
I want to know why Michelle Obama did not share the award with him. She has done every bit as much as President Obama in bringing that nebulous notion of “hope” to the world, and she strives as hard as he does for whatever it is he is striving for.
Barack and Michelle seem to have a strong marriage and a lovely family. Since Oslo is obviously giving this award to Obama based on nothing more than the fact that it feels like it, they should have at least tried to find something meaningful behind it. They actually could have done that -and found a way to save face and restore some value to this absurd prize- had they included Michelle (and hell, even Malia and Sasha, and Mrs. Robinson, for that matter) and bestowed the Nobel Peace Prize upon The Obama Family for being a shining example of healthy marriage, family values and intergenerational connectedness to a world that is watching the elderly become increasingly despised and undervalued, fatherless communities implode and destroy themselves, shack-ups take the place of real commitment and (at the other extreme) ideas of marriage that are (despite assurances from Obama’s own adviser) oppressive, exploitative and harmful to women and children.
The Nobel Committee, fools that they are, just threw their grand prize at a man who -outside of making a very excellent marriage- has done nothing; his own supporters admit that Obama has not earned it. Giving the prize to The Obama Family is something that actually could instruct the world and give it genuine “hope,” and something that everyone can strive for – commitment and depth of feeling!
But in all likelihood, in their cartoon world, that would have seemed so very bourgeois to sophisticated, worldly Oslo, who has chosen meaninglessness over substance. And for that, I suppose, this award is a perfect marriage, of sorts.
Meanwhile, you’d better not do anything but fall down in praise of this award, says Ed Morrissey:
Even in a political environment where the two major parties send out ridiculous ding-dong reactions to events, this takes the cake. [The DNC] argues (almost assuredly uncomprehendingly) for a fuehrerprinzip where the head of state must never be questioned or criticized, lest one become a traitor to the fatherhomeland.
So, shut up and give empty praise to this empty award given to emptiness, or you are worse than the Taliban, whom this president says are not really that bad.
In Oslo they’re saying, “heh, let’s see him send more troops to Afghanistan, now!”
Obama says…nothing and of course, accepts it. He accepts it on behalf of the world he wishes to create and rule. And in his remarks, he says he is charged to “end a war” against “ruthless enemies.” Not WIN the war…end it. Every word is slick, but as much as can be expected, too.
A smarter response would have been, “thank you, but please wait until I do something…”
We might as well laugh. And laugh.
*The early morning glee-notes tapered in light of the laughter.
Schippert on Twitter: Last week “The Ego has landed” this week We have liftoff
Kim Priestap: “He won for wanting to spread hope and peace around the world. If that’s all it takes to get the award, then every beauty pageant contestant should have received one, too.”
Roundup (check back for additions throughout the day) :
Start here: With Instapundit
Washington Examiner: Can Obama legally accept this award while in office?
Jonah Goldberg: Nails it
Althouse: Even the French don’t think he’s earned it
Reuters: America asks “why”
No, the American PRESS wants this: “Americans want to be loved…”
Even some in Press: realize this is stupid
The Corner: keep scrolling
James Pethokoukis: How Obama can earn it
Arafat: Something in common
Byron York: even pro-Obama press stunned
Malkin: “Rather than recognizing anything concrete…”
Allah: Am I awake?
Melanie Philips: Embarrassment for his supporters
Don Surber: Looks at Obama’s accomplishments
Kaus says: If Obama is smart he’ll turn it down. He won’t.
Times UK: A Mockery
Walesa: So soon? Yes, they’re in a great hurry.
Deacon Greg: Pax Obama
Sweetness & Light: History of Nobel Prize
Radio Patriot: Has more
Accurate title: The Don Draper Prize
Rubin: It makes perfect sense
Okie: Spewwww & a roundup
Brutally Honest: Ugh
Victor Davis Hanson: The Power of Payback
Maggie’s Farm: Likes it
Examiner: Help Obama win the Heisman!
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