Why Obama Won.

Cenk states that Obama won the Nobel Peace prize for reversing the stances of George W. Bush.

And Cenk, like Dave in comments, thinks that this is actually an award for the American people, for daring to vote against the scaremongering policies which have defined the US for the last eight years.

UPDATE:

Sullivan gets it:

I don't think Americans fully absorbed the depths to which this country's reputation had sunk under the Cheney era. That's understandable. And so they also haven't fully absorbed the turn-around in the world's view of America that Obama and the American people have accomplished.

UPDATE II:

Of all the right wing reactions, this has to be my favourite so far.

Conservatives4Palin:

this is complete lunacy

Well, they would know.

UPDATE III:



Geir Lundestad, head of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, explains the reasoning behind the award.

UPDATE IV:

Very interesting take on this from Robert Naiman.

But anyone who thinks this award is unprecedented hasn't been paying attention.

The Nobel Committee gave South African Bishop Desmond Tutu the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984 for his leadership of efforts to abolish apartheid in South Africa. Apartheid wasn't fully abolished in South Africa until 1994. The committee could have waited until after apartheid was abolished to say, "Well done!" But the point of the award was to help bring down apartheid by strengthening Bishop Tutu's efforts. In particular, everyone knew that it was going to be much harder for the apartheid regime to crack down on Tutu after the Nobel Committee wrapped him in its protective cloak of world praise.

That's what the Nobel Committee is trying to do for Obama now. It's giving an award to encourage the change in world relations that Obama has promised, and to try to help shield Obama against his domestic adversaries.

It's interesting. I did start out thinking that this was ridiculously premature, but I am beginning to see where they are coming from on this.

Tags: Obama, Nobel Peace Prize