Obama and the Nobel Prize

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First off a disclaimer, I am not saying that Barack Obama was the best choice for the Nobel Peace Prize, as it is subjective and each nominee has merit. It was a shock that he won with only being in office for just over 9 months. One of the comments I've seen is that he was nominated before February 1 of this year. With that, how could they even presume he would be acceptable for the award? I decided to do some research on the Award, as they say it's not a Prize so much because it is not a contest or lottery, but the decision of many people. In September of the year communications are sent to people who should be in the know about what is going on in the individual fields that are awarded. These nominations need to be by February 1. During the months of February and March, they make a short list, like the 5 finalists in entertainment awards. From March to September the advisors review the choices. In early October the Award is chosen by a majority vote of the advisors, they are announced the same day they are chosen. Here is a web page that goes in to more detail of the process ... http://ow.ly/uE4I . They have from February until the end of September to look at and compare and finally make a choice as to who they feel is the right choice. The committee that chooses the Nobel Laurette is from Oslo Norway, partisan politics does not have any bearing on the choice. It seems to me that being as it is a foreign committee that has chosen Barack Obama, then he has already, in his first 9 months, made an impression on the world. They feel that his actions and policies already are making the world breathe better and feel safer. I'm proud that an American President won the award, and actually see some progress on the world stage, though I disagree with more domestic actions he has taken. As to those who bring up Carter and Gore winning Peace Prizes, remember back in 1973 when Henry Kissinger won the Award.