I awoke this morning to the bewildering news that President Obama had been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.  Many of you know that I am a supporter of Pres. Obama, and agree in principle with his efforts on foreign policy.  I was, however, befuddled at the news.  I mean, he's only been in office since January, he hasn't actually done anything, yet, so why him?  Why not someone who's helping Darfur refugees, or someone of that ilk?

I spent the rest of the day dreading the reaction of the right, in anticipation of all the venom and vitriol that would be spewed from the President's opponents, particularly those so opposed to his push for universal healthcare. 

I came to the conclusion that this wasn't so much Obama having earned it, but more so the world (particularly Europe) "flipping the bird" to George W. Bush.

But then I thought a little deeper, and I came to a different conclusion.

The President of the United States, for better or worse, is the face and personification of our country.  In the eyes of the world, he (or she, eventually) represents us US citizens.  Republican or Democrat, Liberal or Conservative, Protestant or Catholic, Jew or Gentile, rich or poor, strong or weak, right or wrong.

In November, we replaced an administration whose foreign policy advocated unilateral action, spurning and demonizing opinions of the rest of the world which did not fit with their preconceived notions of how the world should work.  We replaced it with an administration that advocates diplomacy, recognizing that violence begets violence, that alliances beget strength, and that achieving a goal through finesse brings rewards in exponentially larger quantities than solely acting through force.

This award is not about the man Barack Obama. Even he admits that he does not belong among the winners of this award.  However, as our President, as our face in the world, this award was given to him as a recognition of our movement as a nation away from the policies of bullying, deception, and intimidation that marked our past administration.

This award was not for Barack.  It was for us.  For the citizens of the United States.  President Obama is only the representative accepting it for us.  We should gracefully accept it.