Barack Obama has won the Nobel Peace Prize.

I’m not sure how this happened. In order to be in the running for this year’s prize, he had to be nominated by February 1st. That means he had been officially in office barely over a week.

He hadn’t DONE anything but get elected. So, effectively, he was nominated on the basis of him giving some really good speeches during an ELECTION CAMPAIGN, and getting the majority of U.S. citizens to vote for him.

Don’t get me wrong – I LIKE Barack Obama. He’s a compelling figure… a gifted speaker… a thoughtful man. So far, he has made American look a lot less like the “You’re with us or against us” Texan rednecks that the previous administration had seemed to actually want to cultivate on the world scene. He has many ideas for change, many initiatives that could help the world that he wants to put into place, and tremendous charisma.

But he hasn’t really DONE much of anything yet. He’s just used lots and lots of words.

I read an article that was an interview of a member of the Nobel selection committee. That fellow claimed that the prize wasn’t only for awarding past actions, but it may also be used to motivate someone to future efforts to bring about peace. But – Barack Obama is the President of the United States, and got elected on the promise that he would do better. I think he probably didn’t need a lot more motivation.

There are people who have worked for world peace all their lives. People who may even have put their lives on the line for the cause. People who REALLY deserve, and have EARNED such recognition. People who now may feel that they uselessly toil in anonymity because, well, apparently the peace prize is an atta-boy for someone famous who MIGHT do something someday in the future, IF he can convince the members of his party and the people of his nation to support him. Who would blame any of those people for giving up right now?

I haven’t agreed with Obama all the time – after all, he’s American, and I’m not. He’s said and done things in the interest of his country that weren’t in the best interest of mine. He’s a politician first… and maybe, just maybe he’s becoming a real statesman.

But I do agree with him 100% on one thing: he doesn’t “deserve to be in the company of so many of the transformative figures who have been honored by this prize”.

At least, not yet.

State of Mind: WTF!?