The Peace Prize

When I first heard that Barack Obama had one the Nobel Peace Prize it thought it was silly for the same reason that I think a lot of the criticism he gets from the left is silly: The man has only been in office for nine months. I agreed that he was awarded the prize as much for not being our George, as anything else.
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But I've had a couple of days to think about it, and while I still think it's an anti George thing, I don't think it's quite so silly anymore. The real test is just how bad our George made things, and that turning things around, if not 180 degrees, at least 140 or 150 degrees, is a real move towards world peace.
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The neo-cons that our George listened to wanted to create a world in which the United States was so dominant that we could dictate to the world on any and all issues; a world where we were so feared that no one would have the nerve to say anything but "Yes sir, what ever you wish sir, please don't hit me sir." Well guess what, the neo-con philosophy became one of the greatest threats to world peace, on the globe. No, I'm not doing what so many of my fellow liberals do, and immediately point out to anyone in ear shot that no matter what's out there we Americans are far, far worse. Only an idiot would look at the world today and try and draw an equivalency between some of the real horrors of the third world, and the United States. No matter how stupid some of our governments decisions are, there not as bad as most of the things that are done in Burma, as an example.
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So no, I no longer think that Barack Obama's peace prize is silly. The United States is no longer wandering the world making threats to any and all who don't toe the neo-can line. He's reached out to our traditional allies, removed missile systems from the Russian border, and spoken directly to the world's Muslims. It may not be much yet, but it's a start, and the world is a much safer place today than it was a year ago.