Nobel, No Peace

Two Obama posts in a row? Sorry about that.

I consider it an honor that the Nobel Committee has decided to select the United States president as the recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize this year. Whoever the president currently is, he represents my country, and so it's nice to see that some European dudes aren't mad at us anymore.

But at the same time, like everybody else, I'm wondering... Why? It seems like he's getting the prize for just... being Obama. For being essentially the most important guy in the world while simultaneously embracing a philosophy of peace. I'm flattered that the committee is so confident that he'll bring about a new golden age, but shouldn't we wait for at least one act of "proof" first? Just to make the award actually mean something? I know it's almost impossible to "prove" that a philosophy works in the real world, but I think it would help if we just had a few results that at least corroborated his strategies, so that people who agree and disagree with him can both say, "Well, maybe there's something there." But until then, it seems like they're just rewarding a philosophy.

Looking over the list of previous Nobel winners, I don't think I can honestly say Obama doesn't "deserve" the award. Maybe the award's just never been all it's cracked up to be. But this is an example everyone's paying attention to, so let's use it.

So one thing that occurs to me just, you know, out of the blue, is that Barack Obama is currently presiding over a war. (As in, not peace.) He may not have started it, he may not agree with it, but right now, part of his job description is to represent the US's role in it. My suggestion to the committee would be to see how that goes. See what happens when he ends the war. If Afghanistan does not, in fact, burst into flames upon the removal of our troops, then hey, give him a medal! It may or may not be entirely his fault if it goes smoothly, but it's still an accomplishment. It's not an easy thing for any president to do.

I'm not going to froth at the mouth here, but the whole thing just seems a little silly. If wanting peace is all it takes to get a Nobel Prize, they're gonna have a lot more to give out.

Does it matter, ultimately? Probably about as much as the Oscars. So, see you then.