NOBEL PEACE PRIZE......DID PEOPLE USE TO EARN THIS THING?

In a flurry of intentions, speeches, hopes, unsuccessful bids for Chicago 2016 and soft-ball press corp interviews all rising in crescendo to the Nobel Peace Prize. Now if we could just figure out how to build the ladder that was supposed to get us up there or perhaps we could just fly down.

1. Where's my Nobel Peace Prize? I am sure I have had some pretty off the wall intentions and I have given a couple of speeches too and I intent to give a whole lot more.
2. Mr. Obama was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize 12 days into his presidency: maybe he should be giving us classes on "how to win a Nobel Peace Prize in 12 days".
   
3. The new and improved Noble Hope Prize.
   
4. Let's hear it for all the armatures just about to be inducted into their 'hall of fame' of choice.
5. If CNN's Anderson Cooper thinks Obama's Peace Prize "was a joke" we really have problems.
6. Anybody whose last name is not "Bush", please send in your nominations: It's okay to nominate yourself.
   
7. You don't give people prizes before they have won them; Let's try this at the Olympics next time.
   
8. Our very own post-racial, post-accomplishment president judged on wishful thinking-Rush-
9. Next week is prizes for the people who intend to write a classical masterpiece.
   
10. Sunday night is prizes for those who intend on finding a cure for AIDS or whatever cure you really believe you will find.
    
11. Israel and Iran want to duke it out; China and Russia are emboldened; Iran's mad-man Ahmedinijad is on a joyride and North Korea's Kim Jong Il is dreaming up more nuke Ills.
    
12. This is so outlandish I have to laugh. I however wish the president well in all his intentions and efforts (how does one go about measuring intended effort?) but I am not betting on it. God save us all and help us all.
13. Oh, and the next guy in line to get this prize better step it waaay down. Let's keep the accomplishments down and step up the intentions and dreams and definitely on the the hope.
    
14. The president gets an award amidst his struggle over whether to expand the war in Afghanistan or not, preparations for a withdrawal of troops from Iraq, seeking the impetus to jump start the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, a way to get the world meaningfully involved in the task of stopping Iran's nuclear ambitions, a declining US dollar, an inordinately wanton increase in the public debt, a quagmire of the thousand page-plus unread health care legislation, pesky town-hollers and plunging poll numbers. The above is truly the stuff of hope and potential and betting, but out there in Oslo, they bet on nothing: they just go right ahead and give it to you!
15. I hope the president uses this unexpected gift of goodwill from whoever is supposed to have symbolically conferred it and rallies NATO, the Security Council and world to real action in defeating Islamic fanaticism in Central Asia and around the world, and a successful carryout to the finish of the eight year war against terror in Afghanistan. When the president chaired the UN Security Council last month, he neglected a golden opportunity to make the lives of the trigger-happy Iranian chief fraternity difficult. I hope he swings this peace pendulum momentum sharply, clearly and decisively and strikes while the iron is hot. Bottle up all this goodwill and give us some tangible, definable hope.
16. So, as the world sees hope in America's crystal ball in the hands of President Obama, and as the Americans at home find it preposterous and SNL it to death, we don't mean ill and it's not just in-auspicious; It's fatigue at the prospect sitting through yet another Obama speech, for the 200th time and listen to some more Nobel Peace Prize laced hopeandchange speech. It takes a lot more than grand oratory to vanquish in-auspiciousness. Action anyone?