What the president has done for us lately

Randi Kreiss

Shall we begin with the Nobel Peace Prize? I was as surprised as any American when the Nobel Committee announced its decision two weeks ago, and I was delighted.

Just nine months into his presidency, Barack Obama has so transformed America’s image in the world that he was deemed the best choice for the peace prize. This despite his short tenure, and despite the fact that he is a wartime president. Even as he weighs his options in Afghanistan, contemplating the commitment of more troops to a daunting conflict, he was chosen for this singular honor.

I get it. For people who still look to America for leadership, President Obama represents the last, best hope for achieving a more stable and more peaceful world. To those who say he doesn’t deserve the honor, I would urge them to recall the last eight years, the misguided war in Iraq, the scorching rhetoric of our president, who, speaking of Al Qaeda, vowed to smoke ’em out of their caves — promised to get them “dead or alive.”

I would rather look forward than back, but part of the raison d’être for the peace prize is the recent past. America’s image was badly damaged during the Bush years of going it alone, disrespecting our allies and bullying sovereign nations into cooperating with our war efforts.

Then along came this new president, who promised that we would extend a hand if our enemies would unclench their fists. He made negotiation a priority. He went to Cairo to deliver a speech to the Muslim world, making clear that Islam is not the enemy. He has sent Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to hot spots around the world in the hope of finding the threads of mutual respect that might be woven into peace agreements. He has moved toward curbing nuclear proliferation, keeping North Korea in check and ending the war in Iraq. He has begun complex, delicate, carrot-and-stick negotiations with Iran.