The One Prize He Didn't Want

Last week, President Obama did what one must when given a gift beyond what's reasonable or socially acceptable: He accepted graciously. He knows full well, though, that the Nobel Prize only makes already difficult work all the more challenging, and must be hoping that it won't be a curse that stares back at him from an Oval Office shelf, reminding him of the power of symbols and the difficultly of deliverance.

To be clear, arguments that Obama deserves the prize are without merit: He hasn't been able to close the detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba; he hasn't ended renditions; he has a secretary of Defense who advocates redesigning our nuclear warhead arsenal; and he hasn't been able to bring the Palestinians and Israelis to the negotiating table, let alone to an agreement, yet.

His re-engagement with the world is only an accomplishment insofar as it is a return to normalcy; he has not, aside from returning an ambassador to Damascus, in anyway redefined our relationship with the world. One could perhaps argue that supporting the shift to a G20 format from the G8 and chairing a Security Council session as achievements.

The most damning element of the prize will be the incredulous sentiment it breeds. For heads of state, a group defined more often than not by their ambition, there remains few trophies left to covet after becoming prime minister or president. The most obvious is re-election; the second, the Nobel Peace Prize. Indeed, Dmitri Medvedev — who could use the boost to escape his predecessor's shadow — and Obama stood to share a medal if they reduced atomic stockpiles substantially. Chinese Premier Wen Jiabo and Obama might have shared such the award years down the line if they chartered a course to radically reduce carbon emissions.

Obama, Abbass and Netanyahu might have stood together in Oslo; Asif Zardari, Manmohan Signh and Obama could have been recognized for a peace in Kashmir.

But this award instead elevates Obama above his fellow leaders in an odd, tangible way; helping him to achieve more, even if it elevates themselves, becomes a bit like helping the head of the class to beat you by a broader margin on an exam.

Then there is the issue of money; the near million-and-a-half dollars that the Norwegian king will watch presented to Obama in December is certain to be the most frustrating money Obama will come across in his life.

He's already decided, wisely, that the money will go to charity. But which ones?

The sensible thing to do would be to send the money to those organizations and activists that should have won the award, but vetting them might prove difficult. Whoever receives the money won't only get a substantial boost on their balance sheets, but also the world's most beloved figure's seal of approval. The president's check could prove less valuable than the notoriety the individuals or organizations gain.

If he chooses large, reputable organizations, which are less likely to draw criticism for controversial work or mismanaged finances or scandal of other nature, he defies the tradition of awarding those whose work goes under-acknowledged.

For those with opportunity to bedevil Obama — Iranians and opponents in the U.S. Congress and others — it's all the more reason to dig in their heels a little more deeply, to push against an opponent whose popularity they're certainly jealous of and assuredly think is underserved.

It is one more burden for an overstretched White House staff, and the one prize the president didn't want. At least not yet.

Brian Till, one of the nation's youngest syndicated columnists, is a research fellow for the New America Foundation, a think tank in Washington. He can be contacted at till@newamerica.net. To find out more about the author and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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