Here is what Barack Obama has to say about winning the Nobel Peace Prize, and I think it is amazingly humble and intelligent:

This morning, Michelle and I awoke to some surprising and humbling news. At 6 a.m., we received word that I'd been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for 2009.

To be honest, I do not feel that I deserve to be in the company of so many of the transformative figures who've been honored by this prize -- men and women who've inspired me and inspired the entire world through their courageous pursuit of peace.

But I also know that throughout history the Nobel Peace Prize has not just been used to honor specific achievement; it's also been used as a means to give momentum to a set of causes.

That is why I've said that I will accept this award as a call to action, a call for all nations and all peoples to confront the common challenges of the 21st century. These challenges won't all be met during my presidency, or even my lifetime. But I know these challenges can be met so long as it's recognized that they will not be met by one person or one nation alone.
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I completely didn't see this coming. Barak Obama has just won the Nobel Peace Prize. From Salon.com:

President Barack Obama won the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for "his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples," the Norwegian Nobel Committee said, citing his outreach to the Muslim world and attempts to curb nuclear proliferation.

The stunning choice made Obama the third sitting U.S. president to win the Nobel Peace Prize and shocked Nobel observers because Obama took office less than two weeks before the Feb. 1 nomination deadline. Obama's name had been mentioned in speculation before the award but many Nobel watchers believed it was too early to award the president...

The Nobel committee praised Obama's creation of "a new climate in international politics" and said he had returned multilateral diplomacy and institutions like the U.N. to the center of the world stage. The plaudit appeared to be a slap at President George W. Bush from a committee that harshly criticized Obama's predecessor for resorting to largely unilateral military action in the wake of the Sept. 11 terror attacks.
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Supposedly, it takes a lot for Rahm Emmanuel to be speechless. We've discovered what that could be: A Nobel Peace Prize for his boss. In Surprise, Obama Wins Nobel for Diplomacy - NYTimes.com

“There has been no discussion, nothing at all,” said Rahm Emanuel, the president’s chief of staff, in a brief telephone interview.

Mr. Emanuel said he had not yet spoken directly to the president, but that he believed Mr. Obama may have been informed of the award by his press secretary, Robert Gibbs. There was no official comment from the White House. However, a senior administration official said in an e-mail message that Mr. Gibbs called the White House shortly before 6 a.m. and woke the president with the news.

“The president was humbled to be selected by the committee,” the official said, without adding anything further.

You hear that? It's the collective sonic boom of republican heads exploding.

Today, the day after Holocaust Remembrance Day, a Jewish-Italian scientist turns 100. Long after the Nazi and fascist fools of WW II have died ignoble deaths and are remembered, if at all, as brutal losers, this woman celebrates her 100th birthday honored and proud.

Benito Mussolini is spinning in his grave, and presumably his fool of a granddaughter is none too happy either.

I picked this up from BBC News. Details from her autobiography on Nobelprize.org.
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