Daniel Greenfield: The Nobel Peace Prize Jumps the Shark

"This is actually a brilliant misstep that was meant to honor Obama, but in reality humiliates him, because not even his defenders at home can point to anything he’s actually done to deserve the award.

"Had the Committee of Eccentric Left Wing Norwegians waited a bit and handed the award to Obama for pushing for Israeli concessions or some of his diplomatic roundtrips, it would have significantly burnished his image. Instead what they’ve done is turned both Obama and the Nobel Peace Prize into laughingstocks.

"When even the same unfailingly worshipful media is seriously questioning the award, it’s not a good sign. The Committee of Incontinent Peaceloving Norwegians has said that they wanted to “encourage” Obama, which is patronizing and condescending. And it gives the entirely accurate impression of the slow kid who’s given a trophy just for showing up.

"Domestically this award is a disaster for Obama. It’s something not even his closest media backers can claim he deserves. It’s not something even he can claim he deserves. It turns him into a joke. And even ABC is now running a list of Obama Nobel jokes.

"About the smartest thing Obama could do now would be to decline the award, but he isn’t likely to do it. The award gives him a forum, but not a whole lot less. Mostly it shows him up as being an empty chair and the Nobel Committee as being a bunch of dishonest agitators who have no interest in rewarding achievement, only in promoting agendas."

and

"And then there are the headlines,

Praise and skepticism greet Obama Nobel award - Reuters

Obama Peace Prize win has Americans asking why? - Reuters

Analysis: Obama’s Nobel honors promise, not action - AP

The Nobel Prize Committee May Have Done Obama More Harm Than Good - HuffPo

Nobel Reaction: The Turn-it-Down Trend - WSJ

Iraqis Question Merit of Peace-Prize - WSJ

Barack Obama’s Nobel prize greeted with cynicism and surprise - Guardian

A Nobel for a Good Two Weeks? - Washington Post

A Little Soon for the Nobel Peace Prize? - New York Times

Obama Peace Prize Win Draws Mixed Reaction - Voice of America"