One thing everyone seems to agree on is that they were surprised by this morning’s announcement that the Nobel Committee was awarding their Peace Prize to President Barack Obama. There may be reasonable arguments as to whether a president struggling with two wars and various other diplomatic challenges was the best choice. But even more surprising is the reaction to the announcement.

Michael Steel, chairman of the Republican Party, said it was “unfortunate.” Rush Limbaugh said it was “an embarrassment.” John Bolton said he should “decline it.” But leave it to Glenn Beck to surpass the Conventional Idiocy:

Beck: “The Nobel Peace Prize should be turned down by Barack Obama and given … to the Tea Party goers and the 9-12 Project because — because of the arrogance … because of the arrogance of the progressives that thought no one would stand in their way, that he would be able to accomplish everything. Two weeks into his presidency, they nominated him for it and said, oh, this is going to be a slam dunk. And because of the Tea Party goers and the 9-12 Project people that stood in his way and stopped him from accomplishing the things that he thought — please, I’m the messiah. I’ll be able to accomplish that. We have now seen — we are now pulling the curtain back and seeing, oh, wait a minute, he just got an award for doing things he couldn’t get done. Hmm.”

That’s right. The Tea Baggers should get Obama’s Peace Prize. These folks:

The violent, racist, unpatriotic, fear mongers who go to Tea Parties are the ones who deserve a Peace Prize, not for anything they’ve done, but because they “stopped [Obama] from accomplishing” things. Of course.

And what have they stopped? Well, in truth, nothing. The President is still pursuing the same goals that he articulated in the campaign. Plus, he has already successfully passed an $800 billion stimulus plan. He nominated the first Hispanic to the U.S. Supreme Court. He signed the Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. He repealed Bush’s policy against stem cell research. He gave us Cash for Clunkers.

There have, however, been delays on issues like closing Guantanamo Bay, drawing down troops in Iraq, and finishing up health care reform. But all of those initiatives are still going forward. And it is patently insane for Beck, on behalf of the Tea Baggers, to boast about delaying them, considering how important and popular they are.

Nevertheless, it is the Tea Baggers who Beck thinks…

“…have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses”.

All I can say is that it’s a damn good thing that Beck isn’t on the Nobel Committee.

Addendum: In 2007 Al Gore won a Nobel Peace Prize and was attacked by Rush Limbaugh. Limbaugh actually dispatched his attorneys to see if he could challenge Gore’s award, even as he asserted that it had become “devalued.” But that didn’t stop him from declaring that he ought to win it himself.