I completely lost whatever respect I had for the Nobel Peace Prize when it was awarded to Obama. Not because of who Obama is or what he stands for (that is a separate issue), but because he was awarded the prize a mere 9 months after taking office, without any major international accomplishments. What's even more astounding to me is that nominations for the prize have to be made by February 1 each year, meaning that he was he was nominated for the prize, at most, only 12 days after taking office.