When we were schoolkids, our teachers loved to tell us a little white lie: that anybody in America could grow up to be president. We didn’t believe them, because they couldn’t name any female or black presidents. However, we did believe George W. Bush in 2001, when he told students graduating from Yale University:
“To those of you who received honors, awards and distinctions, I say, ‘Well done.’ And to the C students, I say, ‘You, too, can be president of the United States.’”
Not only can anybody be president now; anybody can get a Nobel Peace Prize — and not for actual accomplishments either, but for things that someone would like to do or claims to be working on. Like many Americans, I reacted with puzzlement and disbelief to the naming of our president as the latest recipient.
Clearly, the days of giving the prize to a Lech Wałęsa or Nelson Mandela are over. If Obama deserves a Nobel Peace Prize, then so do I. Here’s how our accomplishments stack up.
| Obama | Mike |
| weekly address on Saturdays | weekly blog on Thursdays |
| 12 years of community organizing | 17 years of advising German and American exchange students |
| gets people to like America | gets people to understand and appreciate America |
| got prominent Republicans to quiet down for about two months | got the gardener outside Spotlight’s offices to turn off his leaf-blower |
| visited the Middle East for a couple of days and was nice to Muslims | visited the Middle East for a couple of days and was nice to Muslims |
| paid for own sandwich while campaigning, telling baker to “keep the change” | pays for own lunch and gives tips to reward good service |
| redesigned the White House website | introduced the symbol ß into the English language to compreß words and save needleß printing costs |
| has visited 16 countries as president and a few others before that, speaking to potentates and masses | has visited 40 countries, speaking to common people in everyday situations |
| would like to see a world free of nuclear weapons | would like to see a world free of nuclear weapons |
| decided not to put a missile-defense system in Poland | reminds people that half of the missile-defense tests have been unsuccessful |
| held a “beer summit” to resolve differences between African-American author Henry Louis Gates, Jr., and a police officer who’d arrested him | invented Pi Day, along with David Burdelski, in 1980; now a worldwide celebration of friendship, pizza and mathematics each March 14 |
| didn’t tell opponents what he really thought of them | didn’t tell old bosses what he really thought of them |
There’s still time for the Nobel Committee to consider next year’s winners, so be sure to drop them a line when you have a moment. I’d appreciate it. And congratulations anyway, Barack. Peace!
PS My serious answer is that I think other candidates exist who deserve the Nobel Peace Prize more than a new president who is still involved in two wars and who has not made real progress in reducing the potential threat to world peace by North Korea, Iran or the situation in Israel/Palestine. My choice of recipient is Morgan Tsvangirai, who is very clearly following the path of Wałęsa, Mandela and others who risked their lives for peace.
As the leader of a democratic movement in Zimbabwe, Tsvangirai has been arrested numerous times, severely beaten, and constantly threatened, and has seen several of his deputies killed by the police or army. He won’t give up, and his supporters continue to believe in him even when the police come and burn down their villages. Without the support of other African nations or the hope of intervention by world powers, Tsvangirai agreed to accept the results of an obviously manipulated election and be part of a power-sharing government with dictator Robert Mugabe. By doing this, he is still risking his life, but is helping to avoid war and the continuation of violence that has caused millions of people to flee from this once-proud nation.
