President Obama accepted the Nobel Peace Prize this morning, stating in a press conference that he is "surprised and humbled" by the award. America seems to be really surprised, too. The Nobel Committee stated that they gave him the award for his "efforts." They are sure that Obama will bring about some greater good in the future. But since when do people win awards for what they plan on doing? Are athletes in the upcoming Olympics going to win golds based upon who comes up with the best plan to win their event?
Even more interesting is the fact that the deadline to nominate candidates came just 10 days after Obama stepped into office. It's not really his fault he didn't have time to actually achieve anything, right?
But it comes at no surprise that an unachiever like Obama got the award. He now joins the ranks of other winners like Al Gore and Yasser Arafat. Why should the committee give the NPP to altruistic individuals with no political agenda like Mother Theresa when we have global warming proponents and terrorists who need some additional recognition?
I've been following a lot of Tweets about this topic and some have been humorous, others thought provoking. Here is my favorite from alextvalencic:
Kanye: "Yo, Barack, I'm happy you and I'mma let you finish, but BEYONCE has been the greatest peacemaker of all time!"
My reply: American pop culture + politics= great humor!
The best advice I've heard for Obama is from Scott Jennings, a senior political strategist for Peritus Public Relations.
Jennings advice: Don't accept the award. As a result of this unprecedented move, Americans would see Obama as truly "humble."
