1115.org

Henry Unger has a blog on the Atlanta Journal-Constitution website. The title of his overnight post today is:

Power Breakfast: Strategic hiring, Obama peace prize, state revenue drops

Just like the news itself that Obama has won the Peace Prize, I do not get it. Whether you are a fan of the President or not, the fact that they so unexpectedly dumped the Nobel Peace Prize on him has to be the story of the day. To give it second billing to an Atlanta law firm that is displaying “smart strategic thinking”, and hiring in this recession as a consequence, baffles me. Just like the news itself that Obama has won the Peace Prize.

(Actually, Unger’s post — like the Peace Prize award — just displays a laziness of mind. The format of his “Power Breakfast” posts is that he points you to stories in today’s AJC. The headline refers you to multiple stories — often three, sometimes five — and the post usually summarizes just the first one. Clearly, Unger wrote up the “Strategic Hiring” story last night. And, breaking news or not, he really wasn’t going to scrap those 136 words and sit down again this morning to write another 150 words or so. That would be too much like actually earning his daily bread. And when you are working in a declining industry like journalism, why bother to be seen to earn your daily bread?)

At some point today, Obama will no doubt make a gracious and eloquent speech. I hope he has the honesty to thank George Bush. Deeply, passionately, copiously. Because, although I was not previously aware that they gave out Nobel prizes for such things, Obama has, of course, been awarded the Peace Prize primarily for not being George Bush. Bush is practically an uncited co-recipient. (And, yes, that is indeed the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize analog of “unindicted co-conspirator”.)