My daughter arrives

Diya Rachel...my lil angel arrived today...about 9 days late....She weighed in at 8 lbs 6oz. Mom and daughter doing well.

Obama and the Nobel?

The "free pen" explanation from Sullivan's site. I'm still not buying any of it. Its just too damn Machiavellian and I don't think the Committee is so manipulative. Maybe they are just more in tune with what the world thinks and hopes (we in the US have been steadily broken down by the summer of hate and pettiness that we just lived through, tea baggers, 9-12 movements etc). Our reaction of disbelief could also be because Americans don't have a sense for how non Americans think about our Presidents. (Remember Bush was very popular in Albania!! - no one including Bush would have believed it but Albanians loved him there. Similarly I remember hearing that Maronite Christians in Lebanon also loved Bush at very high numbers)

Although Obama's domestic and foreign policy achievements are approximately nil in the last 10 months, could the Nobel Committee just be reflecting what the world community feels and hopes? The fact that he even exists has a "Prozac effect" on the rest of the world. He helped cure a great and abiding Depression brought about by the Bush-Cheney years (Obama is at 88% popularity in France???? I mean do they even hold Jerry Lewis in such high esteem??). Perhaps the restoration of America prestige and the hope that America can move from chauvinism to being a fair arbiter again is a powerful enough achievement to give him the honor?

Or an alternate theory....the Nobel Committee are like tween girls at a Jonas Brothers concert and will do anything in their power to elevate their idol esp. if they can get him to come to Copenhagen again :)

http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2009/10/obama-gets-a-free-pen.html