For the record, while I don't yet have a verbatim transcript of their comments, I did hear a clip this morning from a spokesman for the committee that awards the Nobel Peace Prize. He made it pretty clear that the Nobel Peace Prize is awarded as much for someone's vision, policy direction, goals, and inspiration as for concrete accomplishments and that in awarding this honor to Barack Obama they are honoring and applauding what they see as a strong, positive change in direction of US policy re international relations and diplomacy, and nuclear non-proliferation in particular.   They emphasized Obama's work on behalf of nuclear nonproliferation.


In his acceptance speech this morning, Obama framed the Prize as representing just that.   It's not so much an honor for him or his accomplishments as an encouragement of the international diplomatic work he has been involved with along with many, many others.

The Nobel Peace Prize committee is, I think, endorsing what they see as a major shift in attitude and goals by the US that this new administration promises.