Darling, liberal losers like you will not be happy until we're down to 25 true believers in the Senate and some comparable minority in the House — and end up losing the Presidency as well. Obama is not perfect but OMG, how soon we forget how awful things were just a bare nine months ago. I repeat, do not sacrifice the good on the altar of the perfect. Get the hell out of the circular firing squad.

I said something nice about Bush once? Can't imagine. He was the Worst President Ever, and the main reason I just can't get all exercised when I realize that I agree with Obama "only" 90 percent of the time. (I'll take 90 percent over 10 percent any day, Glenn.)

I, too, looked through my earlier comments and couldn't find what you mentioned. But I might have missed it because I've already had too much champagne. It's a great day!

The Dalai Lama has won the Nobel prize already. So maybe he and Obama SHOULD get together! And invite Al Gore and Jimmy Carter to join them. What a party!

I can't believe you guys are asking for a list of why things are better now, but here goes. (I'm sure I haven't covered all the bases, because there are so many, and besides, I'm doing this off the top of my head. Also, unlike Glenn, I detest long, windy posts. But you've forced me into it.)

Obama rescued us from another Great Depression. I know, it's hard to wrap your heads around proving a negative, but try.

Obama lifted that silly anti-abortion "gag rule" in his first few days in office.

Now the United States can stand for something other than torture and invading countries that didn't attack us.

The international community likes us again. Sorry, but this is important as well as uplifting.

Alberto Gonzales, John Yoo, Monica Goodling and all those other ideological right-wing religious crazies no longer work at the Justice Department.

Sonia Sotomayor is on the Supreme Court now instead of some wingnut Neanderthal. (And P.S.: John Paul Stevens isn't getting any younger.)

We don't have to worry about this Administration pushing a Constitutional amendment that discriminates against gay people.

We WILL get healthcare reform. The Republicans know it, which is why they're acting like such children.

We WILL deal with climate change, thank God, because we once again have a government that recognizes the validity of science, instead of making policy decisions based on the Bible.

At every level of government, there are better, more decent, more intelligent, more compassionate, more diverse, and less vile people than at this time last year.

Our President is really, really smart, instead of a total dummkopf.

And if you're really stuck for more information, I refer you to the statement of the Nobel Committee:

http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/2009/press.html

So... bottom line, once again: Is Obama perfect? No! Is he 50 million times better than what we had? As Sarah Palin would say, you betcha.

Now please excuse me because I have to go have some more champagne.

What a delicious smackdown. Can this guy give Glenn Greenwald a call?

Your post is wonderful, and like Rachel Maddow's observations on her show last night, an important moment of quiet sanity. And written while you're not feeling well — I'm impressed! (Perhaps that's why you accidentally said "nominated" in your lede? Nyquil can make you do funny things.)

Rachel's key line (and I'm paraphrasing here): Our President has won the Nobel Peace Prize. It's something of which all Americans should be proud. Your key line: "Obama's prize is a measure of how far the Bush Administration pushed the United States, and the world, away from peace." You totally nailed it, and I also loved what you said about the furiously Pavlovian response of the far right.

Now, in addition to the Limbaughs and the Becks of the world, will you please direct some of your sanity toward liberal losers like Glenn Greenwald, who couldn't even wait five minutes yesterday to jump all over Obama for not being 100 percent perfect? He's the lefty equivalent of the far-right absolutists over at Free Republic, and — to borrow a phrase from you, now — his idiocy about Obama's Nobel win is no longer even interesting. I would SO not want to have a beer with him.

That you post this on the very day that the Dow closes above 10,000 for the first time in more than a year. Great timing, LL!

Not that I care about football (hockey's my game), but it's fine with me if there's a litmus test for NFL owners. And fans, actually. The litmus test is that none of them should be racist. Sounds reasonable to me.

Thank you, Joan, on so many levels — but particularly for helping to point out (once again) how we liberals tend to eat our own when our Presidents turn out not to be perfect. Glenn Greenwald, are you listening?

Also, thanks for the reminder about why I never liked Tim Russert, and was completely unmoved when he died.

I will boycott that network forever.