Nobel Peace Prize triumph of style over substance
Barack Obama is only the third sitting president, behind Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson, to win the Nobel Peace Prize.
The Nobel committee cited "his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples" only nine months after the president took office.
Considering that nominations were closed only a month after Obama took office, it's clear style trumped substance in this year's award.
Saturday Night Live made that point last weekend, listing in its opening sketch the president's failure to make decisive progress in closing Guantanamo Bay, extricating us from Iraq or Afghanistan, passing health care reform or even winning the 2016 Olympic games for Chicago. Liberals should be disappointed as well, cast member Fred Armisen continued, because despite control of both houses of Congress, Obama has made no progress on global warming, immigration reform, gays in the military and torture prosecution.
Obama has two major accomplishments, his character concluded, "Jack" and "Squat."
By awarding the prestigious Nobel Prize to an unproven leader, the committee has further politicized the award and undermined its importance.