This all smells of Rahm Emanuel. One could predict, ceteris paribus (all other things held equal), that Obama the conniver will be a one-term president, with the "Republicans" coming back stronger than ever.

All other things won't be held equal. The effects of global warming/climate change will increase at an increasing rate, the planetary economic breakdown will become more extensive and destabilizing, the silliness in "Iraq" and "Afghanistan" will result in more death and dislocation, and Obama will continue on his path of Bush-lite (or not-so-lite).

On the bright side, we will hopefully learn a great lesson: "Leaders" are not going to get us anywhere. We have to do it ourselves, in our own communities, in our families, and within ourselves. We also can creatively make life difficult for "leaders," pointing out their crimes, weaknesses, and cowardices. Obama seems to be vulnerable to shame. We'll see. I'm disappointed that he is turning out to be so empty, so soulless, but if he can be pushed around by his advisers, he can be pushed around by his constituents.

The real tricky thing is that Fox's license to broadcast should be pulled for treasonous activities, but it has such an emotional hold over so many dullards that to do so would cause riots by "tea baggers" all over the country.

Ailes likely tried to get an interview with Obama for some Fox minion or another, with veiled threats and/or offers of lenience mentioned to entice Axelrod. Axelrod likely played close to the vest, neither asking nor promising.

What I find most interesting about the phenomenon of hate propaganda media is what in social sciences is known as the secular trend, or non-periodic variation. For the past several decades the trend of bombastic, scapegoating, malicious propaganda media has been upward, in a seemingly endless trajectory. Whenever we think it has reached a crescendo it reaches a new height (or depth).

At some point a real crescendo will be reached. It may be for political or legal reasons, but more likely will be for reasons having to do with money. At its very heart, hate media is about profits, not ideology. Hate brings in the rubes.

I doubt whether there is a "real" "right-winger" among all the hate mongerers (not mongers; monger is a verb) out there. They're all fakes: O'Reilly, Hannity, Beck, Savage, Limbaugh, and their many lower-tiered imitators and wanna-bes. Should they fall out of favor and get themselves fired, I wouldn't be surprised to see them reappear as "liberals." Ed Schultz used to be a "right-winger." Now he's "America's number one progressive voice."

Looking at this situation from a bit of distance, it's almost comical the way Obama has catalyzed the hatred into high gear. All because of a little illusion called "race." Seen as reflecting less light, he has triggered reptilian emotional responses from many thousands, maybe millions of our less evolved brethren. If this catalyzing ends with a positive result he may turn out to be our greatest president ever. I'm doubtful, but the future is hard to predict.

This is proof that God exists. If you look at human events as a big cauldron, stirred continually, with new ingredients added all the time, the award certainly thickens the soup.

It could be argued that Obama deserves the Nobel Peace Prize for winning the presidency, creating peace and aspiration worldwide by inspiring the unrepresented everywhere.

I don't believe he did anything that would merit the award, but he is a better choice than some past winners, like Henry Kissinger and Menachem Begin. If the award serves as the straw that breaks the camel's back of the hate media, then it will be richly deserved. The invisible hand works in mysterious ways.

I thought I was a bit wordy in writing my own blog, but this post deserves a Nobel Prize in verbosity. I used to be an avid reader of Glenn Greenwald, but there are only so many hours in a day. It may be important to explore every last detail of a point being made, but it puts me to sleep. Literally. I'm going to sleep like a lamb tonight, and I only read three paragraphs. Just looking at the rest of the litany made me tired.

You can drive yourself nuts going into nuance upon nuance of every nitpicky point of some perceived misdeed or other. It helps to keep it in perspective. For instance, I had no idea that various "Democrats" and/or "liberals" were making statements about critics of Obama's peace prize, and wouldn't have known if I hadn't read this column.

As far as the award, so what? It's an award made by men, and it has been given to Henry Kissinger and Menachem Begin. If it shames Obama into creating peace, then great. If not, then it might at least keep him from doing worse than he is doing now.

It could be argued, by me for instance, that Obama deserves the award for running for, and winning, the presidency of the United States. By the peaceful breaking of "racial" barriers, Obama has inspired billions of people worldwide, and has made it easier for the disposessed to seek better lives.

He still may turn out to be a crappy president, but at least the prize has stirred the cauldron of political discourse. Most likely, good will come of it.