Friday, October 9, 2009

President Barack Obama Nobel Peace Prize win mocks award; give the GOP critics room to maneuver

(Josh Greenman-DAILY NEWS)In one fell swoop, the Nobel Prize jury just made a mockery of the world's most revered honor and handed Barack Obama's opponents a great talking point. They wounded two doves with one stone.

Obama should say "Thanks, but no thanks. I really didn't earn this. It's far too early to know whether my efforts will further the cause of peace. There are countless people more deserving in America alone. And besides, I'll worry about prizes after I'm the President. For now, I have a job to do."

Do the folks in Oslo realize what a gift they just gave to the Republicans, who have been hammering away at what they view as Obama's weak-kneed foreign policy, at his flying all over the planet to curry favor while he (in their analysis) neglects the economy and capitulates on basic American national security interests?

Thanks to the Nobel committee, less than a year into his presidency he's President of the World, a label he won't be able to shake.

Even as Iran pursues a nuclear weapon, the war in Afghanistan worsens and China rises ominously in influence. And in all these trials, the jury is out as to whether Obama's efforts will succeed or backfire.

It gets even sillier; nominations had to be received much earlier this year, when Obama had fewer notches on his brand new belt. This -- the warrantless adulation of elites around the world -- is a recipe for intense U.S. populist disdain.

Obama's fault? No. Obama's problem? Yes

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