Ditto Magrath.

Seeing as he was nominated a mere two weeks into his Presidency, I reckon it's actually been strategically awarded as a form of international validation, recognition, and indeed encouragement of, the *American people* for voting the guy in.

He's the symbolic figurehead of a process of delicately shifting attitudes occurring in America amongst the electorate themselves. On that basis, Obama as figurehead, is deserving of it as the public representative of the American people as a whole.

That's my theory...