One half of MC threw up on himself while the other half tore out her hair upon learning that the Vapid One won the 2009 Nobel Peace prize. What a way to start the day! Upon reflection:1. MC agrees with Rick Klein of The Note: be careful of what you don't wish for. This prize comes with lots of baggage and only underscores that, in fact, Obama has accomplished nothing. And that SNL skit was only last weekend. What fun they'll have with it tomorrow! Click HERE to read Klein.
2. Hamas thugs and Islamic fascists have already weighed in and poo-pooed the award. Heh: how's that Cairo speech working out for you Barry? One cretin in Pakistan said the award was an "embarrassing joke." MC finds itself in the odd position of agreeing with a terrorist. Click HERE to read a round-up of reaction in the Arab world (courtesy of Reuters, naturally).
3. Blake Hounshell, the managing editor of Foreign Policy magazine had the high brow reaction of "WTF?" to news of the award. Think about it: squishes in foreign policy land are rolling their eyes. If the members of the Committee thought they were doing Obama a favor they have miscalculated. Click HERE to read Hounshell's tweets; some are quite funny.
4. Ronald Krebs writes in Foreign Policy magazine that these "aspirational" awards have been given out for years. Perhaps the Committee finally jumped the shark? Krebs quotes by name a former Committee member who cheerfully states that the Peace Prize is expressly political. Apparently so! Click HERE to read his article about how little the prize has actually accomplished.
5. Seems most Israelis are rolling their eyes, what with the deep love and afffection Obama has generated in that small, beleaguered country. Likudnick Donny Danon snarkily and correctly observed: "This is the first time the award is given for wishful thinking."
6. Developing (as Drudge would put it): some think Obama should decline the award, including Jeffrey Goldberg and Marc Ambinder. With his ego? MC thinks some on the East coast have started drinking Bloody Marys before blogging today; not that we weren't tempted.
7. Mickey Kaus is onto something: "the possibility for a Nobel backlash seems non-farfetched." MC admits to being first into the backlash trenches! Click HERE to read Kaus.
8. Ali Akbar Javanfekr, Ahmadinejad's media aide, said: "We are not upset and we hope that by receiving this prize he will start taking practical steps to remove injustice in the world." Iran isn't upset! THERE is Obama's accomplishment: he did nothing to win this award but in winning it has not upset the Iranians! Good God! A bloody Mary looks awfully good about now.
9. Ian Martin of the WSJ echoes the reaction of most Americans: For what? Click HERE to read his short take.
10. MC's final take? (We surely won't blog about this again!). The award means nothing at best; at worst it takes some form of Kaus predicted backlash, ensuring even more media coverage of the media addict and leaving most Americans with an indescribable sick feeling in the pit of their stomachs. We found the following comment posted at the Washington Post to be both amusing and a fair assessment of our feelings:
Posted by: ravitchn | October 9, 2009 9:20 AM
Hat tip: Mike Downing for the graphic; WaPo for gathering reaction stories.
UPDATE: From the Washington Post:
Reaction: Obama Wins Nobel Peace Prize
By Garance Franke-Ruta
Updated 10:25 a.m.
A surprising unanimity of opinion is emerging online that the award has been given to Obama prematurely -- and that this both poses a potential danger to his presidency and will serve as a challenge to the credibility of the Nobel-awarding committee in Oslo.
At Time magazine, Nancy Gibbs argues, "The last thing Barack Obama needed at this moment in his presidency and our politics is a prize for a promise."
Tweets ABC News's Jake Tapper, referring to a controversy earlier in Obama's presidency: "apparently the standards are more exacting for an ASU honorary degree these days."
(An Arizona State University spokesperson in April explained a decision to invite the president to give the commencement address without also giving him an honorary degree by saying, "His body of work is yet to come. That's why we're not recognizing him with a degree at the beginning of his presidency.")
The Post's David Ignatius also weighs in, explaining that the prize validates America's return to popularity in the court of world opinion: "The Nobel Peace Prize award to Barack Obama seems so goofy -- even if you're a fan, you have to admit that he hasn't really done much yet as a peacemaker. But there's an aspect of this prize that is real and important -- and that validates Obama's strategy from the day he took office.... America was too unpopular under Bush. The Nobel committee is expressing a collective sigh of relief that America has rejoined the global consensus. They're right. It's a good thing. It's just a little weird that they gave him a prize for it."
Updated 10:02 a.m.
Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele has released a statement calling the award into question:
"The real question Americans are asking is, 'What has President Obama actually accomplished?' It is unfortunate that the president's star power has outshined tireless advocates who have made real achievements working towards peace and human rights. One thing is certain - President Obama won't be receiving any awards from Americans for job creation, fiscal responsibility, or backing up rhetoric with concrete action."
What a busy time! When is the crucifixion scheduled for?