Nobel Obama

I know everyone and their brother has done this to death but I’ve been away, indulge me.
Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. The entire right wing commentariat in the U.S. spat on their pancakes. The reality-based community wasn’t exactly delighted, though.
e.g. my buddy R at Judge & Jury raised his eyebrows at the Nobel committee’s decision to offer the big prize to Obama. He is cynical for the same reasons as a lot of folk: too soon! What has Obama even actually done?
See also this neato cartoon by some guy who drew a cover for a Pearl Jam record
Counterpoint: a worthwhile discussion at the ever-sensible Making Light, with Abi Sutherland noting in the original post that while it does seem early, it will serve as incentive as well as award, and Charlie Stross saying “I think it’s premature unless the incentive thing is taken into account — but it’s not wholly inappropriate…”
Obama accepted (but for “the movement”). GMS was one of many hoping he’d turn it down, but he was given pause by an Andrew Sullivan reader who saw it as an endorsement of optimism in and about the US. Something to that, maybe.
Me? I think it’s cool. I think Obama deserves it about as much as many of the Nobel’s other awardees, which doesn’t say terribly much I know. It makes a lot of sense to me that he receive this award now, when he still embodies the hopes and dreams of progressives and peace-lovers around the world – before he disappoints us all utterly. Which, of course, he will. In a sense, the award is about a moment of change-potential that has arrived – something definitely to be celebrated and honoured. And, at the same time it lays down a narrative of how that potential will be squandered.
I mean, I’m still up with Obama. He’s better than the alternatives, seems clear to me. The way he’s doing foreign policy has changed the international ground incredibly in a very short time, profoundly for the better. I still have big hopes he’s gonna do more good than harm, and will step up to the plate on climate change. But he’s not going be Superman, or even Spider-Man. Foolish to expect it. Maybe the reason everyone’s reacted so badly here is because the award just forces us to acknowledge how much we expects of Obama, and how secretly we all know he isn’t going to live up to those expectations.
But anyway. Gotta give the man some respect. Win a Nobel Peace Prize at the same time as you’re fighting two wars? That takes 18 charisma. No doubt.