Why, Why, Why?

A lot of people have asked that question in response to the awarding of the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize to Obama. Below is a terrific list of blogsphere responses to this news lifted mostly from Instapundit (thanks and sorry). I'll add more when I find them. I imagine there will be lots of commentary.

And, it occurs to me, given the ridiculous news about Obama's Nobel Prize, that tonight is going to be the Mother of all Friday Night News Dumps.

OBAMA WINS NOBEL PEACE PRIZE? “For what?”

UPDATE: What do Barack Obama and Yassir Arafat have in common?

Plus, Mickey Kaus: Turn It Down. “Say he’s honored but he hasn’t had the time yet to accomplish what he wants to accomplish.”

ANOTHER UPDATE: Doug Mataconis on Facebook: “Teddy Roosevelt wins Peace Prize for stopping a war. Carter wins Peace Prize for a lifetime of work. Obama wins Peace prize for breathing.”

MORE: Heh.

I say, not bad for a guy who’s been acting like Bambi caught in the headlights of history.

STILL MORE: London Times: Absurd decision on Obama makes a mockery of the Nobel peace prize. Oh, it was already a mockery.

Meanwhile, Mataconis is on a roll on Facebook: “How can Obama win the Nobel Peace Prize on the same day that he’s becoming the first POTUS to bomb the Moon?”

It’s Frank J. Fleming’s world. The rest of us just live in it.

MORE STILL: Various reader comments:

“It’s a peace prize, not a peace peace prize.”

“How do you say ‘jumped the shark’ in Norwegian?”

“Today the Nobel Committee announced a posthumous Peace Prize for Neville Chamberlain.”

“Why not the Cy Young Award, too?”

“Let’s be fair . . . he did pull off the Beer Summit.”

Plus, Jacob T. Levy on Facebook: “The US border agent in Toronto– the armed representative of the state who was holding my passport– asked me what I thought of the Nobel, got angry when I was anything less than celebratory, and didn’t want to give my passport back– wanted to keep arguing.”

“Americans want to be loved.”

“The subprime Peace Prize.”

Salena Zito: “Well, this makes his meeting with his war team today awkward.”

HuffPo: Whatever Happened to Awarding For Deeds Actually Done?

Richard Cohen:

In a stunning announcement, Millard Fillmore Senior High School chose Shawn Rabinowitz, an incoming junior, as next year’s valedictorian. The award was made, the valedictorian committee announced from Norway of all places, on the basis of “Mr. Rabinowitz’s intention to ace every course and graduate number one in class.” In a prepared statement, young Shawn called the unprecedented award, “f—ing awesome.”

At the same time, and amazingly enough, the Pulitzer Prize for Literature went to Sarah Palin for her stated intention “to read a book someday.” The former Alaska governor was described as “floored” by the award, announced in Stockholm by nude Swedes beating themselves with birch branches, and insisted that while she was very busy right now, someday she would make good on her vow to read a book. “You’ll see,” she said from her winter home in San Diego.

And again in a stunning coincidence, the Motion Picture Academy of Arts and Sciences announced the Oscar for best picture will be given this year to the Vince Vaughn vehicle “Guys Weekend to Burp,” which is being story-boarded at the moment but looks very good indeed. Mr. Vaughn, speaking through his publicist, said was “touched and moved” by the award and would do everything in his power to see that the picture lives up to expectation and opens big sometime next March.

Heh.

Posted at 6:59 am by Glenn Reynolds

NEWS AND COMMENTARY LINKS
What Price for Obama’s Nobel Prize?

From a reader:

Any chance we can get Kanye West to attend the ceremony for the Nobel Peace Prize. Talk about a time for him to step up

. Obama says he'll accept Nobel as 'call to action'. Well it would have to be wouldn't it? He hasn't DONE anything yet.

Obama is surprise winner of Nobel Peace Prize

From the UK, Absurd decision on Obama makes a mockery of the Nobel peace prize.

Even This BBC Forum seems to think it is too soon.

President Barack Obama wins Nobel Peace Prize

Obama’s Nobel Peace Prize Links to the citation report.

Of all the nominees like dissidents who truly risk their lives to fight for peace, The Nobel Peace Prize Isn't That Funny.

Maybe the Nobel committee felt sorry for him afterall. 'Greater embarrassment' than losing Olympics.

Usually the Wall Street Journal's headlines are NOT from the big book of D'uh. Nobel Committee's Decision Courts Controversy. They aren't wrong though.

Uh huh. World leaders hail Obama's Nobel Prize. Of course, they do. They all hope to get one themselves now that the prize is being handed out like peanuts.

Obama Peace Prize win has Americans asking why?

On a lighter note, Palin, Vaughn, Rabinowitz Win Awards

Does He Have to Ask Congress for Permission? Apparently yes.