Nobel Obama

Perhaps the surprise of the year: Obama's Nobel Peace Prize.

Reactions are all over the map. "What's he done to deserve it?" "He's a good man but it's premature so early in his presidency."

Absolute blind fury that "The Anointed One" has been handed something else without deserving it. Simple blind fury at anything Obama wins and absolute glee if he loses -- whether it's health care or the Olympics.

My initial reaction was: this is not good. It will just give the haters something else to focus on.

But my second reaction was to realize that he has already accomplished a lot, simply by setting a new tone for the U.S. in the world. And I think that is what the Committee recognized. You could be cynical and say it was simply an award for being the not-bush. It's more than that.

Obama has restored the world's opinion of what the U.S. stands for. Is it not a great accomplishment that following his election and his first few months in office, the standing of the U.S. in the world's respect has jumped from 27th to 1st?

Most Americans simply do not realize how much damage george bush, dick cheney and their crowd did to this country in the eyes of the world. When he was elected a second time, the world thought we had lost our ever-loving minds.

Obama's comments this morning were pitch perfect: starting with a bit of humility about his daughters' keeping it in perspective: reminding him that it was also Bo's birthday and a holiday weekend coming up as being on a par with the big announcement.

And then saying he did not feel he deserved to be included with those who have truly been transformative of the world -- but that he would accept the award as "a call to action."

The only thing I wish they had done would have been to award the prize to President Obama and the American People who elected him.

Ralph