Obama seemed kinda humble in his acceptance, again I don’t blame him for the untimeliness of this selection, the Nobel Committee is what has denegrated itself through this vote.

Speaking only for myself, I know that the feeling I had on January 20, and the days immediately after, of waking up each day and just being overcome with this feeling of relief and gratitude that the nightmare of the Bush years was over, is a feeling that hasn’t gone away, and it’s hard to describe how powerful it is. Even when I’ve been feeling most blue and down (about the world, about some of Obama’s decisions, about my own personal financial problems), hearing him respond to critics, or give a speech, or just answer questions at a presser, invariably lifts my spirits. Not because he’s “the One” as the loons on the right put it — it’s because of the personal qualities that come through. His humor, his intelligence, his obvious concern for the issues he’s talking about… It just feels like such a blessing to have this man in the White House.

Now if I feel this way, imagine how much more the rest of the world (not all of it, I know, but a lot) feels knowing that they no longer have to fear what Cowboy George might do to their countries.

I think there is something to be said for the Nobel Committee giving this award to Obama for the way he’s moved global opinion of the U.S. from the sub-basement to, I don’t know… the Appalachian Mountains? Certainly not Mt. Everest, but it’s a start. There is also something to be said for the Prize being given to Obama at this time — as opposed to in a second term that isn’t guaranteed to happen — in order to encourage him to continue in this path.