Chavez throws Barry under the bus

"Paging President Obama, please pick up the white courtesy phone. You have a phone call from Venezuela."

Venezuela's socialist leader Hugo Chavez said on Sunday that U.S. President Barack Obama had done nothing beyond wishful thinking to earn the Nobel Peace Prize.

Chavez, who has mixed praise for Obama personally with criticism of his government's "imperialist" policies, said he thought it was a mistake when he read the U.S. leader had won.

"What has Obama done to deserve this prize? The jury put store on his hope for a nuclear arms-free world, forgetting his role in perpetuating his battalions in Iraq and Afghanistan, and his decision to install new military bases in Colombia," Chavez wrote in a column.

"For the first time, we are witnessing an award with the nominee having done nothing to deserve it: rewarding someone for a wish that is very far from becoming reality."

Chavez said giving Obama the Nobel award was like giving a baseball pitcher a prize simply for saying he was going to win 50 games and strike out 500 batters.

The Reuters piece notes this is the lightest sort of criticism that Barry's faced over his Nobel Peace Prize, but it seems to be the norm in reacting to this idiotic display of hubris on the part of the Nobel committee. See, Chavez is right. This award was given based on the assumptions of what Barry might do as opposed to what he has done. It was announced today that Elinor Ostrom won the Nobel prize for economics; the first woman to be awarded the prize for economics. Unlike Barry, Ms. Ostrom actually worked to achieve this prize, though she was equally surprised to have won it.

But Chavez's reaction shouldn't surprise anyone. He's not the only one that would like to have a sit-down with the Nobel committee and ask "WTF?" But we should remember why Barry received this award. It's not about what he might possibly do. It's a way for European intellectuals, like the monkeys on the Nobel committee, are trying to influence US foreign policy. Barry's taken it on the chin for the fiasco in Afghanistan right now, and the public is sick of him stalling on the plan General McChrystal has outlined for success in Afghanistan. (The Fred Kagan piece is a must-read for anyone not completely up to speed on what General McChrystal is attempting to carry out.) This prize was given to Barry in the hopes that he won't grant the general's request.

We hope he does. The general's strategy is very similar to the surge strategy used in Iraq. If Barry wants a feather in his cap that he can point to, in terms of success as president, this is the issue for him. The health care debate is dead. The Democrats in Congress will likely ram through an expensive, burdensome, and invasive bill. Crap and Tax is dead. None of his legislative "accomplishments" will amount to a hill of beans if we retreat from Afghanistan. If I were in Barry's shoes, I'd drop that peace prize in the nearest round file, authorize the troops for General McChrystal, and I'd remind Europe that we are the ones in charge of our destiny in Afghanistan, not them. Yes, they're there, too with their NATO forces, but none of them are willing to commit anymore soldiers to the cause of righting the ship in Afghanistan.

So we'll have to do it on our own, and follow the general's plan to a "T". If Barry isn't interested in success, then he needs to call off operations and bring our soldiers home. You don't settle for a draw in a war, especially one against a blood-thirsty enemy such as the Taliban and al Qaeda. You fight to win. If you're not willing to do that, then there's no reason to waste the precious resources of manpower or equipment engaged in hostilities abroad.

Publius II