More On The Prize

I think you are right, Laura, that Obama did not wish for this prize now, and would as soon not have it. I don't think we can know if he feels "used," as you suggest, however. I have read the remarks of the committee members who voted for him and found them to be genuine in their assessment of and appreciation for the impact Obama's candidacy and election have made on the world. They are bewildered that we can't see that ourselves.

It certainly factors in that Obama is "not George W. Bush," but it is more than that. John McCain would have been an improvement over Bush -- hell, so many people would have been an improvement over Bush -- but none of them would likely be getting the Nobel Prize right now.

Samar and Mortenson are incredible humanitarians and deserving of the highest forms of recognition. But in the bigger picture, Obama helped this country and the world turn a corner in the direction of justice and peace. I don't mean to imply that Obama is some perfect person or savior -- he most certainly is not , and has disappointed me more than once -- but he is the right person at the right moment in history with a vision that is moving us in that direction. That's why I think giving him this honor (and, as you say, by extension the nation who put him in office) is wonderful. I don't know what the prize means to him, but his receiving it resonates with the majority of the planet.