President Barack Obama Awarded 2009 Nobel Peace Prize, Joe Scarborough Says He Wants Prez to "Do Something Before Winning Awards"

BREAKING: President Barack Obama has made history again! He has won a Nobel Peace Prize. Yes, I am sure this is going to tick the Rethuglicans off! He was praised by the Norwegian Nobel Committee for "his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples.""Only very rarely has a person to the same extent as Obama captured the world's attention and given its people hope for a better future," the committee said. "His diplomacy is founded in the concept that those who are to lead the world must do so on the basis of values and attitudes that are shared by the majority of the world's population."Wait, didn't Arizona State University refuse to give him a honorary degree when he delivered the commencement address there earlier this year because his body of work has yet to be realized? The Nobel Peace Prize is far better than any honorary degree. Of course, Michelle Malkin, Ann Coulter, Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, Matt Drudge and Glenn Beck will be foaming at the mouth over this latest accomplishment. Joe Scarborough, host of "Morning Joe," says he just wants President Obama to "do something before winning awards." We just can't get along, can we?

The committee also said Obama has "created a new climate in international politics." The announcement came as a surprise -- Obama's name had not been mentioned among front-runners -- and the roomful of reporters in Oslo, Norway, gasped when he was named.

In his short time in office, Obama has acted on a wide range of issues from the economy to terrorism and wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Obama also lobbied unsuccessfully to bring the 2016 Olympics to Chicago, Illinois. After returning from Denmark, Obama expressed no regret about his trip, saying it is "always a worthwhile endeavor to promote and boost the United States." Former Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari, last year's Peace Prize laureate, said it was clear the Nobel committee wanted to encourage Obama on the issues he has been discussing on the world stage. "I see this as an important encouragement," Ahtisaari said. Source: CNN

This is an extraordinary accomplishment and it is a great inspiration for the world. He showed us during the presidential campaign that we can transcend race.  On the world stage, we can come together and work for the better of mankind. Obama, only nine months into his administration,  became the third sitting president U.S. president to win the prestigious prize -- Theodore Roosevelt in 1906 and Woodrow Wilson in 1919.  Jimmy Carter was the fourth American leader to win, but he was out of office when he was recognized in 2002.

The Committee took an extraordinary step in considering President Obama because the nomination deadline is eight months before the announcement, with a strictly enforced deadline of February 1. I guess this will be the bone that sticks in the craw of the president detractors.  I must admit that I was very surprised that he won. In one sense, I feel that he has not scored any major foreign policy success, nor has he figured out how to close Gitmo, nor ended the war in Iraq, but in his defense, he hasn't been in office long enough. Still, I think he has started to change the perception of many people towards America. I am glad he won and I hope he will accomplish many positive things during his administration.

UPDATE#1:  According to Breitbart, an AP article just had to interject President George W. Bush in the equation by surmising that "the plaudit appeared to be a slap at President George W. Bush from a committee that harshly criticized Obama's predecessor for resorting to largely unilateral military action in the wake of the Sept. 11 terror attacks." It further added that "rather than recognizing concrete achievement, the 2009 prize appeared intended to support initiatives that have yet to bear fruit: reducing the world stock of nuclear arms, easing American conflicts with Muslim nations and strengthening the U.S. role in combating climate change."

UPDATE#2:  The right wing is going nuts. Here's a sampling of their vitriol:
RedState: Obama's Nobel "An Affirmative Action Quota"
"Stunned" Fox & Friends Attack Obama Over Nobel.
Kilmeade Asks Whether Obama Delayed Decision On Afghanistan Troop Request In Order To Receive Nobel.
FNC's Gallagher Uses Obama's Nobel Prize Win To Bring Back The "Apology Tour" As usual, Fox News Channel didn't disappoint in their so-called "fair and balanced" coverage. Of course, I am being sarcastic.

UPDATE#3:  The Democratic National Committee has issued a statement in response to the uproar in the Rethuglican Party over Obama's Nobel Peace Prize. The gist of the statement is that the GOP sides with the terrorists. The Taliban and Hamas, with zero credibility, have vehemently criticized the President's award. Back to the DNC. They issued the following statement:
"The Republican Party has thrown in its lot with the terrorists -- the Taliban and Hamas this morning -- in criticizing the President for receiving the Nobel Peace prize," wrote DNC Communications Director Brad Woodhouse. "Republicans cheered when America failed to land the Olympics and now they are criticizing the President of the United States for receiving the Nobel Peace prize -- an award he did not seek but that is nonetheless an honor in which every American can take great pride -- unless of course you are the Republican Party. The 2009 version of the Republican Party has no boundaries, has no shame and has proved that they will put politics above patriotism at every turn. It's no wonder only 20 percent of Americans admit to being Republicans anymore - it's an embarrassing label to claim."

Photo credit: President Obama, Getty Images