Well, the Nobel peace prize certainly caps an interesting political summer in the U.S., doesn't it? To Barack Obama, a guy who hasn't, in any concrete, sign-on-the-dotted-line sense, actually accomplished much of anything.

Still, let's face it, he deserves it. Americans (well, some, anyway) may not get it, but a lot of folks in the rest of the world sure do. He's saving America's international ass. He has single-handedly (if you ignore the invisible host of advisors he's undoubtedly got) begun to turn America's international image around. From the thuggery of the Bush years, he's turned America toward a path of conversation, cooperation, and respect for other views. He's shown the world that America can be, and is, interested in diplomacy, the rule of law, and negotiation. He's shown the world that there might still be integrity in America, however deeply buried it was by Bush & Co. And, given that, for better or worse, America still dominates world politics, this is a very, very big deal. Very much worthy of the Nobel.