I agree with Sean that the rabid-ness of the opposition, as led by Glenn Beck and others is insane, and I wonder where all these people were hiding from 2000 - 2008. Surely there can't be that many villages missing their idiots? Or possibly the village sane person is simply missing.
Mongoose - your rant about the LCROSS mission was just random and even for your normal levels of dialectically mis-construed babble - just truly epic.
Let's keep this Nobel Peace Prize in perspective - it's always a symbolic and politically motivated prize. And by the nature of it being about "PEACE" - it's going to be seen as liberal, leftwing and socialist.
But check out the previous winners:
http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/
In particular check WHY Obama was given it this year.
"for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples"
If you live inside the USA you may not actually realise how low the standing, the credibility of your republic as a force for positive diplomacy and cooperation has sunk in the last 8 years.
The very fact that there's been discussions between Iran and the US - on the basis of Obama taking that first step means something. Considering the last 8 years - doing that is quite extraordinary. From 'axis of evil' to sitting down around a table for discussions - that takes some diplomacy.
I'm not saying Obama is a saviour of the universe. But in the last year - who would you put forward?
Most of the individuals given the laureate have been pretty specific players in certain times and events - Trimble and Hume in Northern Ireland, Romas-Horte in East Timor, Kissinger for Vietnam (hmmm...), Mandela and de Klerk in South Africa, Gorbachev for glasnost, Lech Walesa in Poland. Apart from a few individuals like Mother Teresa, or groups like MÉDECINS SANS FRONTIÈRES who are truly lifelong in their dedication to peace - most laureate winners have been honoured for specific events.