Early last Friday morning, many people awoke to a series of loud clanging sounds. The noise was the result of previously-awarded Nobel Peace Prizes hitting the bottom of garbage cans after the Norwegian Nobel Committee confirmed to the world that the award is officially meaningless by awarding it to President Obama. (Okay, most of the previous winners. Al Gore and Jimmy Carter no doubt are polishing theirs in preparation of the upcoming photo-ops with the newest Nobel Laureate.) The five-person committee commended President Obama for his “extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples.” Most of the world was shocked at the news and even the New York Times struggled to justify the committee’s decision in light of the lack of a tangible track record on real foreign policy initiatives that have any more significance than a speech given every week by just about any high school freshmen debate team member. President Obama somewhat acknowledged the rest of the world’s confusion when he claimed to be “honored and humbled” by the prize and he “…wasn’t sure he had done enough to earn the award or deserved to be in the company of the transformative figures who had won it before him.” However, neither Obama’s humility nor uncertainty about his worthiness will stand in the way of him traveling to Oslo later this year to accept the award. Anyone familiar with President Obama shouldn’t be surprised. Declining it was never an option because, in Obama’s mind, there is no position or honor that he is unworthy of receiving. As Jeannie DeAngelis points out in the American Thinker, “Obama remains as deluded about himself as the people who elected him, probably more. Did he ever consider, as an inexperienced state senator, that running for President of the United States may be a premature goal or was he merely, just a tad, “…unsure as whether he had 
done enough?”” President Obama has always held himself in very high esteem. Only someone extremely self-infatuated would even consider giving the Queen of England an iPod filled with videos of his own speeches. While the Nobel Committee cited Obama’s eagerness to sit down and speak with America’s enemies as a primary reason for their decision, the award will only embolden the White House efforts to smear and marginalize any political opponents they face at home.
From listening to the administration, no one would know that the media is filled to the brim with Obama supporters who report getting “thrills up their legs” listening to his speeches. The NBC gift shop even offers a selection of Obama merchandise ranging from DVD’s of his speeches to t-shirts, coffee mugs, and other souvenirs. (I wonder if they had to clear out all of their George W. Bush trinkets to free up shelf space after the inauguration.) President Obama enjoys more media support than any other American president. During the annual White House Correspondents’ Dinner last May, the president acknowledged this when he joked, “Most of you covered me. All of you voted for me. My apologies to the Fox News Table…” The journalists filling the room erupted in approving laughter and applause. However, even with unprecedented levels of media adoration, you would think that the president endures endless attacks from every reporter in the daily White House press briefing
On Sunday, White House Communications Director Anita Dunn spent ten minutes complaining to Wolf Blitzer on CNN about the criticism they have received on Fox News. The next day, Dunn told the New York Times, “We’re going to treat them the way we would treat an opponent. As they are undertaking a war against Barack Obama and the White House, we don’t need to pretend that this is the way that legitimate news organizations behave.” The complaints are coming just a couple of weeks after President Obama scheduled appearances on four Sunday morning political roundtable shows to discuss his health care agenda topped off with a Monday night appearance with David Letterman. During the media blitz, the White House refused to appear on Fox News which also happens to be the highest-rated cable news channel. While Fox does definitely have primetime editorial shows hosted by harsh critics of the administration, the network’s hard news broadcasts are the most watched cable news reports that draw an audience with the most diverse political views. Almost one third of the Fox News audience describe themselves as “liberal” and since the inauguration, the network’s ratings have steadily grown. During the Sunday interview, Blitzer asked Dunn if the administration would schedule any appearances on Fox News before the end of the year. Dunn replied that while they had no specific dates that Fox would receive interviews. However, representatives for Fox have said that just days before Blitzer’s interview, the White House denied all interview requests from the network’s hard news shows for the rest of 2009.
At the same time that the Nobel Committee is lauding the president for his willingness to sit down with the world’s tyrants to seek goodwill and common understanding, the White House refuses to sit down and engage anyone at home that doesn’t agree with their agenda. In April, administration officials expressed their disdain for the hundreds of thousands of Americans who gathered across the country for the tax day tea parties. Instead of addressing the concerns of out-of-control spending causing unsustainable deficits, the White House chose to classify protestors as “The Brooks Brothers Brigade” organized by wealthy Republican operatives. Likewise, the concerns voiced during the August town hall meetings were dismissed as the workings of “an angry mob” that only sought to obstruct Obama’s vision of change. During both events, Obama saw his public approval numbers nosedive from the lofty January levels. At the same time as Obama’s drop in the polls, Fox News’ ratings have dramatically risen. It’s easy to see the possibility that many of the people turning sour on Obama are simultaneously turning on Fox News. Through declaring war on the network, the administration is also declaring war on the network’s viewers and essentially telling them that they are considered by this White House as unworthy of debate. Considering Gallup’s findings that conservatives outnumber liberals in all 50 states, alienating Fox News won’t help Obama’s poll numbers rebound anytime soon.
Senate Majority Leader, Harry Reid wrote that after he congratulated then-Senator Obama on a well-delivered speech, Obama looked at him and said in a serious tone, “I have a gift.” Throughout his whole career, B. Hussein Obama has been praised for his eloquent speaking style to the point where he genuinely believes the hype. The Nobel Committee’s own words confirm that his Peace Prize was based solely on his speeches. Unfortunately, as Obama is learning, governing and securing American interests and prosperity take more than well-composed rhetoric. While Iran and North Korea “nuke up,” Obama is committed to meeting them at the negotiation table to the point that only a mushroom cloud might deter him from his open-hand diplomacy with the world’s top lunatics. However, if we could somehow get Iranian and North Korean leaders a show on Fox News, perhaps Obama would finally see them as an adversary worthy of defeating. Until then, Obama’s domestic foes can only wish for the level of engagement and understanding that our president affords our most rabid enemies.