Congratulations Are in Order

Bloggers Note: Those who know me, know that I like to keep my political commentaries open-minded, rational, and level-headed. However, this will be no such post. If you're a conservative, a closed-minded partisan, or a "political ambivalent" you best stay away. Consider yourself warned.

By now everyone is aware that U.S. President Barack Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize this morning. The award is a great honor and a coup for the U.S. -- or so I thought. Upon hearing the news, the Internet exploded in a heated debate. My facebook newsfeed, which is supposedly populated heavily by liberals included the following statements:

• "can't believe that man won. the world blows my mind."
• "how the hell did Obama win? really? he hasn't done anything."
• "can't really understand why Obama won. what is the world coming to?"

I don't want to debate Obama's credentials for the Nobel Peace Prize. I think the committee chose Obama because of his phenomenal potential, and I have no doubt that the President will do his best to live up to the award. (The Huffington Post has a great piece on the Nobel Committee awarding the Piece Prize based on potential here.) I don't understand why the public cannot congratulate the man on the achievement and move on. The feverish skepticism set me off. After months of remaining silent, I am "mad as hell, and I'm not going to take this anymore."

This rant is probably more about a few fickle Democrats than the Republicans, so my blogger's note may be for not. However, I am livid with those who continually complain about President Obama "not doing anything." The man has been President for nine months. Count them. NINE. He still has at least 39 more months in office. Yes, Obama had big campaign promises. Yes, he promised change in Washington, but can you please name a President that has made radical differences in nine months? We all knew that Obama's biggest weakness was his lack of experience. It wasn't a secret. We all knew what we were getting when we voted. The decades-old Washington machine is well-oiled. It's going to take more than one man, and 3/4 of a year to change it.

Maybe its Obama's fault for setting expectations too high, but has he really done nothing? Thanks to Obama, the discussion of health care reform has come further than ever. The system has been messed up for decades and Obama is finally stepping up to the plate and trying to get something done. Reforming health care is a pretty big deal.

Who knows, I could be completely crazy, but do I blame Obama for lack of progress? Absolutely not. I blame Congress (aka the opposite of PRO-GRESS) -- the old boy's club that hasn't accomplished anything in what seems like forever. The President has a myriad of issues to tackle - it's going to take time. I for one, still believe in the him. (As a side note, for all those complainers, change rarely happens on the national level -- it's ALWAYS slow and painful. If you want to make change -- get involved in local government, contact your state legislator, vote in municipal elections. Please.)

I said it when I was 16-years-old and I'll say it again, I want a President who knows how to lead and who can inspire a nation. President Obama is still that man. We live in a world full of cynicism and doubt, and I could be naive, but I am still choosing hope, because at the end of the day, that's a lot better than the alternative.