The world has spoken on Obama’s hope, unity

This is from today's Detroit Free Press. My sentiments exactly. Bravo! Rochelle Riley!!!!!!!

The announcement shook up the world. But the Nobel Peace Prize committee’s decision to honor President Barack Obama should have come as no sur­prise. Five years ago this month, the (London) Guardian’s home affairs editor wrote about a poll showing that voters in eight of 10 leading countries, including some of America’s closest allies, wanted President George W. Bush to lose in the 2004 presidential election. Yes, people outside of America believed that the Iraq invasion and subsequent war were wrong, and that America was becoming increasingly isolated. As a country, we didn’t seem to care what they thought. Our mantra during Bush’s two terms was “Damn the torpedoes. Full speed ahead.” But the world has spoken again. And the Nobel committee was its conduit, awarding the prize to Obama not so much for what he has done but for what he has made possible. Thorbjørn Jagland, chair­man of the five-member com­mittee, said Obama has “creat­ed a new climate in interna­tional politics.” It was a reminder that the Peace Prize, in the past, has been given not to those who forge forward with guns blaz­ing and arrogance reeking, but to those who encourage re­straint, unity, democracy: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and former President Jimmy Cart­er. Obama’s critics, including an increasingly cartoonish Republican National Commit­tee Chairman Michael Steele, just don’t get it. Steele and other Republican and conservative critics are playing the dozens while Oba­ma is leading America to live up to its Declaration and its constitution. His missteps are to be expected. Every presi­dent has had them. But can his critics really compare a rough ride to universal health care with ensuring world peace? They don’t get it. But Oba­ma does. He accepted the prize, in a modest Rose Garden speech, in which he made clear that he knows he was recognized not with a reward for what he has accomplished, but with an incentive to continue what he has begun. The Nobel announcement was stunning and unexpected. But it should not have been a surprise. Our last president took us to the precipice of World War III. Obama has joined a pantheon of thoughtful intellectuals who believe in putting peace first. And whether we pay enough attention or not, that is what most people around the world want, as well.