What Did Barack Obama Do?

Barack Obama was announced today as the Nobel Peace Prize recipient. My reaction was, "Huh?"

Before I begin this rant, let me state that I am neither an Obama Hater, nor an Obama Lover. I am an Obama supporter. I voted for Obama. I still believe that I voted for the best choice available to me. I think we as a society need to strive to keep an open mind. I am frightened by the hatred many people feel toward Obama, however, I am equally frightened by those who seem to "idolize" him. I think both are dangerous because the haters will never see any good and those who idolize him will never see any bad. Obama has the hardest job in this country, some might argue the world. He will do some right and he will do some wrong. We should ALL be rooting for him to do more right....it impacts all of our lives. (All of the above is why I am neither a Repbulican nor a Democrat. I am proud to be unaffiliated. I think the two party system is ruining and dividing our country. A rant will save for later...)

Now, back to the Nobel Peace Prize. I'm not clear on what Obama did to win this honor. I believe his goal is to work towards Peace, but not sure has made an inch of progress so far. So, I researched the Nobel Peace Prize. According to the AP, it is a myth that someone needs to have made progress in peace efforts to win the prize. The AP stated, "...more often, the prize is awarded to encourage those who receive it to see the effort through, sometimes at critical moments." So, yes, Obama fits that criterion, particularly the "critical moments" piece. However, I suspect other World Leaders fit this criterion too. Granted, people often call the President of the United States the "most powerful position in the world," so that beefs up Obama's realm of influence on Peace. I would argue we shouldn't think of POTUS as the most powerful position in the world. (We'll save that for a rant to be named later.)

I continued my research. I read the names of the past recipients and why they won. Well, I think the AP statement of "more often" was overstated. Most of the recipients demonstrated specific actions and work that worked towards Peace or brought awareness to global issues that impact Peace. So, I am back to thinking, "Why Obama?" The Norwegian Nobel Committee state he was awarded this honor for "his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples.:" Could they share a list of his "extraordinary efforts." during his Presidency or even since he was catapulted onto the radar screen of the world? I don't believe a few great speeches and an inspiring book count as "extraordinary efforts." I believe he has the potential to make extraordinary efforts on this front, I just think this award might be a few years too early. The nomination deadline for this prize is February 1st. Just adds more mystery to the "Why?"

You might ask yourself, "SwirlGirl, why do you care?" I care because everyday there are people on this planet working toward Peace. As I reveiwed the list of names of Nobel Peace Prize recipients, I certainly saw names that I recognized (Carter, Anan, Tutu, Kissinger, Sadat, Gorbachev, King, etc.) I also saw names I didn't recognize (Aung San Suu Kyi, Joseph Rotblat, Betty Williams, Mairead Corrigan, etc.). I care because I hope someone unknown wasn't overlooked for their truly extraoridnary effort for someone who has the potential to perform extraordinary effort.

POST RANT NOTE: Currently watching Obama's press conference on topic. He handled it well...stated he feels he doesn't belong in the company of previous recipients and sees this as a call to action to build momentum.
ANOTHER POST RANT NOTE: Someone objectively stated on a news show "this feels like a we're glad you are not George Bush award"---it does feel a bit like that. Which isn't right either.