Obama's Peace Prize

I was rather surprised and skeptical too. But see http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/2009/10/obamas-prize-for-peace.html

* Non-proliferation work (he had a life before the Presidency)
* EPA regulating CO2 as a pollutant (Al Gore and the IPCC were previous winners.)
* Elevating diplomacy over military action, respecting the UN
* Stopping our torture programs

And while Obama himself would never bring this up, being a black man elected President in the US counts for a lot by itself. And not just among American blacks, a whole of the rest of the world's majority peoples went "!!!" The "leader of the free world" is no longer just white dudes. Given that the point is to the person who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses it's not such a bad fit: worked to reduce nukes, promoted the UN, promoting fraternity by being himself at this time.

http://nielsenhayden.com/makinglight/archives/011728.html#374066
is a bit interesting too.