Congratulations, President Obama

Just before I woke up, I thought I heard things exploding, like the morning-glory seeds I'd tossed on my weed fire last weekend. Now I know what I heard: The heads of local Republicans exploding on the news that President Barack Obama has won the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize.

I have to admit that my first reaction was: What for? He hasn't been president for a year. Is this a knee-jerk reaction from the Anyone-But-Bush crowd in Europe?

Obama has accomplished a bit on the international diplomacy front, re-kindling friendly relations between the United States and, frankly, the rest of the world. So I believe the prize, while early in his career, is merited. Not to forget the work he's done on reducing nuclear weapons stockpiles. I for one have to applaud efforts to get rid of bombs.

Update: The Nobel Committee explains its choices in this Associated Press article:

"Some people say — and I understand it — 'Isn't it premature? Too early?' Well, I'd say then that it could be too late to respond three years from now," Thorbjoern Jagland, chairman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, told the AP. "It is now that we have the opportunity to respond — all of us."

"If everything goes wrong, then one cannot say that this was because of Barack Obama," Jagland said. "It could be that it is because of us, all the others, that didn't respond. But I cannot exclude that Barack Obama also can contribute to the eventual failure."