David Sirota: Yes, You Can Oppose Obama's Nobel Prize, Be Progressive, Disagree With the GOP - and Not Be a Terrorist

"Do these facts mean Obama deserves the Nobel Peace Prize award? My opinion is no.

"I think that in light of these verifiable facts, the award proves that - like so much of society - the Nobel committee has become one (at least this year) that values celebrified politics over everything else. Obama's fame - not his actual policy or record - is what is being honored here. And that's not surprising: As I said, we are a society that is increasingly organized not around issue, cause or movement, but around celebrity - and this reflects it.

"I think you need to actually make peace (which requires lots of risks/courage/success) rather than simply talk about making peace (which requires far less risk/courage/success) - I think, for instance, that Chinese dissidents who have risked their lives taking on the most authoritarian government in the world are more deserving.

"I think a president commandeering two wars in the heart of the Muslim world doesn't deserve the award, especially as he considers an escalation, and especially as his particular policies continues to rack up carnage around the globe (see Glenn Greenwald's post for some of the grisly details). And I think the idea of giving an award to someone to 'encourage' them to be more peaceful before they actually prove to be peacemakers is ludicrous for two reasons: 1) if that's a rationale, why not give it to brutal dictators as an incentive for them to lighten up? and 2) sure, the award may encourage more peace, but it also may be used as a political shield to justify more war - if Obama escalates in Afghanistan, for example, the award will let him try to brush off the antiwar movement by simply saying, hey, you can't question me, I'm a Nobel Peace Prize winner!"