"Let me be clear: I do not view it as a recognition of my own accomplishments, but rather as an affirmation of American leadership on behalf of aspirations held by people in all nations." President Obama

Does hope merit a Peace Prize? You'd have to ask those who had dismissed us as hopeless. 

Watching the news in Europe and other places abroad can be most illuminating. Often, the United States is not even mentioned. It can be jarring if you arrive in a foreign country and turn on the TV without first adjusting your "world view." You wait and you wait. Lots of important things are going on in the world...

But where's the news about us?

Oh, right. "us" doesn't equal "U.S." once you leave our borders and go to other countries -- you know, those places that share the planet with "us." Love them or hate them, these countries exist soley without your permission or mine and probably aren't the lease bit interested in our opinions about anything. Ouch. That puts things back in perspective if your own opinions are feeling overwhelmingly important right now.

But on Friday October 9, 2009 the United States was in the international news. And it was about something honorable and important: The Nobel Peace Prize and America's potential value to the world as a leader with "an unclenched fist."

We are not perfect and neither is the president who was elected by our majority. Think about how many mistakes any one of us can make in a given day and realize that our nation will make its own share of mistakes as a reflection of who we are. But on that day, on that Friday in October, we were recognized, through our president, as having vast potential to be peacemakers. And that is what the honor was partly about: our potential. President Obama also won the award because of his vision and courage to trigger a shift in global relations. If you don't think he already has accomplished that, well, your opinion is not supported by members of the Nobel Peace Prize Committee. And it is their prize to give out.  

So for those of you who chafe and complain that "he didn't deserve it," take a moment to consider that you don't deserve it, either. But under the banner of "United States" you looked a little more hopeful to the world on that day.

And when President Obama accepts the award on behalf of the United States, as he certainly will, we should join him in feeling humbled.