Nobel Peace Prize Goes Into the Trashcan of History

All good things come to an end. And so it has for the Nobel Peace Prize.

In an unprecedented display of sucking up, the sycophants behind the Nobel Prize chose Barack Obama as the 2009 winner. What was once considered one of the most prestigious award in the world has now been relegated to the trash heap of history. Why?

A good question, as many are left wondering what Obama has done in the eight months of his presidency to deserve it.

But in truth, it has nothing to do with Obama’s policies or his vision for the world. As a matter of fact, this year’s prize actually has nothing to do with Barack Obama’s achievements at all, for a very good reason.

He had been President for a whopping 11 days before the nomination deadline of February 1.
(Yes, that would be eleven!)

So unless the world missed something that the Scandinavian derrière-kissers secretly knew about how Obama created world peace in those eleven days, how could he have possibly been awarded the prize?

Sound too far-fetched and incredulous, even for the Scandinavians?

Think again. A visit to the official Nobel Peace Prize website states it all too clearly:

"February – Deadline for submission. The Committee bases its assessment on nominations that must be postmarked no later than 1 February each year. Nominations postmarked and received after this date are included in the following year’s discussions."

And what exactly are the criteria for one’s achievements to be considered for the prize?

Again, the Nobel website: "In addition to humanitarian efforts and peace movements, the Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded for work in a wide range of fields including advocacy of human rights, mediation of international conflicts, and arms control."

Well that explains everything. In the last eight months — oh, sorry, I meant to say in the first 11 days of Obama’s presidency — he made earth-shattering achievements in all these areas. The world’s nuclear arsenals are now eliminated, Arabs and Jews are singing Kumbaya together in the Middle East, China no longer oppresses its citizens, and America’s largest jail (which happens to be in Obama’s home turf of Chicago) now stands empty, as its prisoners are now all productive members of society.

Oh, and we’re against waterboarding terrorists who hold knowledge of impending attacks on free people across the globe.

Ok, you got me. Only one of the above statements is true.

So if Obama didn’t actually achieve anything, then why the award?

According to the Nobel press release, Obama was chosen "for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples….the Committee has attached special importance to Obama’s vision of and work for a world without nuclear weapons."

Even for Obama, who some have called The Second Coming, achieving all that in just 11 days is simply too much.

The real answer for picking Obama’s is obvious. The Nobel award was both political and pre-ordained, an advance "thank you" for his traveling the world and apologizing for America.

The real loser here is the credibility of the Prize, which has been seriously, and most likely irrevocably, damaged.

Why do people always feel the need to politicize everything? The Scandinavians have a terrible inferiority complex, a pathetic need to be liked by everyone.

Appeasers will never learn. What was once the gold standard is now worthless scrap metal. The result of this travesty is that not only will future awards be tainted with suspicion, but past recipients will have an asterisk next to their name. What deal did Al Gore make to get his award? Jimmy Carter? Kofi Annan?

Were they really deserving? Did their accomplishments truly merit the award?

Because the Nobel committee put their agenda before the vision set forth by Alfred Nobel, a doubt will now always accompany those questions.

Mr. Nobel is no doubt turning over in his grave.

Chris Freind, author of "Freindly Fire," is an independent columnist and investigative reporter. Readers hail from six continents, thirty countries, and all fifty states. He can be reached at [email protected]