I had no doubt that in the future, Mr. Obama will have earned the honor without any question. And I did think that thus far in his nascent presidency, he has managed to put a whole new spin on the course of our planet. But on the heels of Saturday Night Live's opening sketch last weekend ("Look at what I've accomplished with majorities in the House and Senate... jack squat"), I wondered: what was the Nobel committee thinking? Obama has not brokered any ground-breaking handshakes. He hasn't torn down any walls, caught any Nazis, or granted any micro-loans. He has not even assembled an Oscar-winning Power Point presentation.
What has he done?
As the day wore on, I took breaks from work to listen to the radio, and to visit Google, and I found my perspective on Mr. Obama’s resume evolving. He has actually accomplished a few things in his 47 years:
- Instead of seeking a job with a cushy law firm (his resume certainly would have opened doors for him), he sought out the opportunity to be a community organizer on the streets of Chicago. That changed a few lives for the better.
- He stood up to the entrenched power structure by questioning the "war" in Iraq, the violation of civil liberties, and the eroding of America's respectability in the world community that was happening under President Bush. That "call to arms," starting with his campaign for the Illinois state senate, is pretty much what got him elected President.
- He has returned the US Presidency to its role as an active participant in efforts to reverse global climate change and end nuclear proliferation.
- He enacted a financial bail out which - all other criticisms aside - has kept the world's financial system from total collapse. For now.
- He has called for, and is trying to referee, the reform of our health insurance system.
- He has reversed some of Bush’s more disastrous environmental policies.
Not bad for a rookie. By this time, his predecessor had already managed to lose the World Trade Center, part of the Pentagon, and some real estate in rural Pennsylvania. But I also had to ask myself: What has he not done?
- He has not closed Gitmo.
- He has not stopped renditions.
- He has not reversed the PATRIOT Act.
- He has not yet fully awakened to the reality of the morass in Afghanistan.
- He has not issued an order to stop "don't ask, don't tell," to halt the expulsion of gay military personnel.
- Oh, and that Olympics thing.
These are not criticisms. OK, some of them are. But he's been in office only a few months, so to expect him to have accomplished much more would be a bit unfair. And as I have noted, he certainly could have done worse. But it takes more than not being Bush to get the attention of the Nobel committee. So I dug deeper, and by the end of the day, I had a different perspective on his accomplishments. He’s done a bit more with his time in office than hold a "Beer Summit."
Most impressive to me was that in his short tenure as the leader of the free world, he appears to have steered us away from a collision with nuclear holocaust. Last month, he chaired a United Nations Security Council summit meeting, at which a resolution was passed calling for strengthening the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. It’s a sure bet that his predecessor would not have offered support to any discussion of nuclear disarmament, especially if it was tied to a UN resolution. And to be the first US President to chair a UN summit meeting, let alone one on this particular issue - former UN ambassador John Bolton must be having the vapors. In fact, there are those on the right who saw Obama’s participation in the UN proceedings as a violation of the Constitution, and an abdication of US sovereignty. The Nobel committee, however, apparently sees it as a sign of hope that we as a species may live long enough to see the world population more threatened by climate change than by nuclear disaster (a good news/bad news proposition if ever there was one).
But if he stopped right there, he will have fallen short of expectations, even those held by his supporters before this morning’s announcement. I hope that this honor gives a boost to Obama's "political capital," so that he can fulfill that promise. I hope it makes him more Presidential, and perhaps a bit less Senatorial. And ok, I have to add: I hope it gives Misters Limbaugh, Hannity and Beck severe heartburn. Maybe this will at least dampen some of the "foreign-born socialist fascist Nazi Death Panel Dictator" rhetoric we've had to endure lately. Unfortunately, not even the RNC can manage to be grown-ups about this. Instead, the committee issued a petulant press release saying "It is unfortunate that the president’s star power has outshined tireless advocates who have made real achievements working towards peace and human rights." Perversely, they just cannot pass up an opportunity to find fault with our President, even for being the recipient of an award he did not seek, and that he himself has said he does not feel he deserves. One would hope that at least a few of them might take their cue from Sen. John McCain, who graciously put "Country First" in saying that "as Americans, we’re proud when our president receives an award of that prestigious category."
I am indeed proud.
I do wonder if the Nobel Committee has given Obama more of a burden than an honor by laying on him this mantle. The President did not seek it, and it should not reflect ill on him because he's the recipient of an honor. He is perhaps muttering under his breath "Thanks a heap, guys!" Still, if nothing else, the Nobel folks have set the bar pretty high, and I don't think that's a bad thing.
