Definitions of peace largely assume that it must revolve around an end to conflict or hostilities. The kind of peace the Nobel Prize Committee rewards has always stood out as a more organic whole than simply the humanitarian vibes that immediately follow human conflict--freakin' Ghandi never even won a Nobel Peace Prize despite five nominations.
Besides, nobody actually expects Nobel Peace Prize winners to make real and lasting peace. Every 10 years or so, somebody wins for getting Jews and Arabs to sit down and shake hands.
Thus, President Barack Obama wholly deserves his Nobel Prize for the transcendent work he has done to restore the vitality and vitriol of a conservative movement sapped by the heavy demands of the legislative and executive process.
Obama restored balance to the political spectrum. The yin now flows evenly with the yang in American politics.
Lost in the wilderness of dominant political power for close to eight solid years, the American right gleefully tore their tailored suits off and jumped back into a dusty bomb shelter when Obama won the election. For a group of politicians who routinely run on an anti-government platform, being able to attack with sniper rifles instead of defending their policies and spending has to feel like a little slice of Heaven.
Like an uncle who feels most at peace with the world when perched in a deer stand and smelling of fresh deer urine for 36-hour stretches, the American right has found a lasting peace in their war against Obama. An "other" straight out of central casting, our tall and left-leaning mixed-race President immediately achieved a level of mistrust some take years to earn.
Sean Hannity walks with a pep in his step nowadays, and the sanguine look in Glenn Beck's eyes either means that he is about to start crying again or he knows that Obama has brought him a level of serenity few achieve outside of Buddhist monasteries. Even President George W. Bush now clears brush with a lighthearted giggle he used to break out only at the bottom of a nude fraternity pile-up. This kind of inner peace could only come at the hands of Barack Obama.
The most amusing part of the Nobel Peace controversy is that Bill Clinton has to be absolutely livid at the whole damn spectacle. After brokering more talks than Tyra Banks and even posing for a picture with batshit-insane North Korean dictator Kim Jong-il, Billy the Kid thought he had this Nobel in the bag. Jimmy Carter and Al Gore won their Nobels with far lesser works than sitting down and talking with Supreme Leader Crazypants.
With the emergence of President Obama and the other results of the 2008 election cycle, Democrats again get to hold the purse strings of Washington wide open--a position which also brings them quite a bit of contentment and harmony. Nothing says unanimity and brotherhood like a few trillion dollars in the hands of lobbyists--in fact, I believe that is a direct quote from the Dalai Lama.
Tommy Maple is a graduate student in international communications. His column appears on Thursdays.
