The Nobel Prize

I'm ambivalent about the award to Obama, myself. I mean, it's a good vote of confidence in the new regime, at least insofar as it differs from the old regime, but couldn't they have awarded it to him when he's actually done something?

Of course, not being a Washington insider, I didn't have a reaction like this one from Time magazine:

Time magazine explains, in two separate pieces:

Why Winning the Nobel Peace Prize Could Hurt Obama

Obama's Nobel: The Last Thing He Needs

One hardly knows what to say. I can only echo Jamison Foser:

This is so true. Sure, some people may think finding out you have cancer is the last thing you need. Or that your kid has cancer. But not me. I spend every day of my life grateful that I'm never going to win a Nobel Peace Prize. 'Cause that would really be terrible. It's literally the last thing anyone needs. You know, what with it being the most prestigious award in the entire world and all. Nobody wants that.

Andrew Sullivan seems to see it close to the way I do:

I've had some coffee now. Reading through all the reactions, compiled by Chris and Patrick, there are two obvious points: this is premature and this is thoroughly deserved.

Both are right. 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. Of course, this has yet to bear real fruit. But you can begin to see how it could; and I hope more see both the peaceful intentions and the steely resolve of this man to persevere.

This president has done a huge amount to bring race relations in this country to a different place, which is why the far right has become so vicious in attacking him and lying about him. They know he threatens their politics of division and rule. He has also directly addressed the Muslim world, telling some hard truths, and played a small role in evoking a similar movement of hope and change in Iran, and finally told the Israelis to stop cutting their nose off to spite their face.

I like Shimon Peres' statement, reprinted in a useful compendium of world reaction at the Lede:

“Very few leaders if at all were able to change the mood of the entire world in such a short while with such a profound impact. You provided the entire humanity with fresh hope, with intellectual determination, and a feeling that there is a lord in heaven and believers on earth.” Mr. Peres, who won the peace prize with Yitzhak Rabin and Yasir Arafat in 1994 following the Oslo Accords, added: “Under your leadership, peace became a real and original agenda. And from Jerusalem, I am sure all the bells of engagement and understanding will ring again. You gave us a license to dream and act in a noble direction.”

I think Sullivan's absolutely right: we don't realize what a shambles our standing in the world was, and how quickly Obama has started to turn it around. A lot of it is symbolism, but symbolism is potent stuff.

But by the same token, it's the lack of even symbolic gestures on the domestic front regarding gay rights that infuriates me so. On the world stage, he's said the words and taken some pretty decisive actions. On the gay rights front, it takes a lot of pressure to get him to even say the words. There's been no action, decisive or otherwise. It all seems to be a function of fear of offending the Republicans, who are open about opposiing anything Obama proposes, so why bother with them? Why not just go ahead and ram his agenda through the Democratically-controlled Congress. He could do it, if he'd make the effort.

And until I see that happen, I'm taking everything else with a grain of salt.