The return of "1984"

Team Obama's take on Hillary back in '08.


True then. True today.

The New York Times' on Benghazi: A political whitewash & a pack of lies

When the New York Times published "A Deadly Mix in Benghazi" (by David D. Kirkpatric) this weekend, Obama Administration supporters -- particularly those backing former Sec. of State Hillary Clinton -- hailed the story as proof they had been right all along: the story said the deadly attack on the "embassy" in Libya was conducted by a group unconnected to al Qaeda, and that it was brought on by a YouTube video they felt slurred Islam.

From the NY Times - Esam Omran Al-Fetori/Reuters

Beginning late Saturday night and continuing on through Sunday's news chat shows, the Clintonistas/Democrats triumphantly paraded Kirkpatric's findings anywhere they could get an audience. It wasn't long, however, before those in the know (from the military, intelligence and diplomatic realms) started coming forward to counter the NYT's report. In short, they were seething with anger over what they perceived as a report that was not only wrong, but also was constructed to protect the legacy of President Obama...and, more importantly, shield Mrs. Clinton from a scandal that could derail her presidential aspirations.

What follows is a piece by Larry Johnson -- reprinted with permission from his fine blog, No Quarter. (Disclosure: Larry is a radio colleague.) He worked previously with the Central Intelligence Agency and U.S. State Department’s Office of Counter Terrorism, is a recognized expert in the fields of terrorism, aviation security, crisis and risk management. 

Understanding the Attack in Benghazi and the NY Times Lie

By Larry Johnson on December 30, 2013 @ No Quarter

Hillary Clinton and her advocates in the media are busy trying to muddle what actually happened in Benghazi, including the decision at Hillary’s State Department to ignore warnings of a deteriorating security situation, and the failure of the Obama Administration to respond competently to the attack as it unfolded. So let’s get the record straight.

First, Ambassador Chris Stevens, DCM Gregory Hicks and the Diplomatic Security Officers repeatedly and accurately noted that the security situation in Libya, in general, and Benghazi, in particular, was growing more dangerous.

This was not an “intelligence” failure. The intelligence correctly noted a worsening threat. It was a policy and leadership failure. The ultimate responsibility for this belongs to Hillary Clinton and Under Secretary Patrick Kennedy. Unfortunately, the Accountability Review Board (which was chaired by Ambassador Thomas Pickering) was appointed by Hillary, supervised by Patrick Kennedy. Pickering and company decided to not interview Hillary Clinton as part of their bogus investigation. But they did affix blame on Ambassador Chris Stevens for not kicking Washington in the testicles for failing to respond to their repeated requests for more security:

2. Systemic failures and leadership and management deficiencies at senior levels within two bureaus of the State Department (the “Department”) resulted in a Special Mission security posture that was inadequate for Benghazi and grossly inadequate to deal with the attack that took place.

Security in Benghazi was not recognized and implemented as a “shared responsibility” by the bureaus in Washington charged with supporting the post, resulting in stove-piped discussions and decisions on policy and security. That said, Embassy Tripoli did not demonstrate strong and sustained advocacy with Washington for increased security for Special Mission Benghazi.

The short-term, transitory nature of Special Mission Benghazi’s staffing, with talented and committed, but relatively inexperienced, American personnel often on temporary assignments of 40 days or less, resulted in diminished institutional knowledge, continuity, and mission capacity.

This is the ultimate Washington move–blame the dead guy, who is unable to rebut the allegation, and exonerate the ones who ignored the actual requests for more security.

No one predicted the attack in Benghazi on 11 September 2012. But that’s not unusual. Most terrorist attacks that have occurred over the last 30 years have come without any specific advance warning.

The real problem for Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama starts around 4pm Eastern Daylight Time in Washington, DC when the attack started on the so-called “US Consulate” in Benghazi. The facility was not a Consulate. It was a “special facility” and existed primarily to handle the intelligence operations being conducted from the CIA facility at the location now knows as, “The Annex.”

Once the attack started the Operations Center for Diplomatic Security was notified. In accordance with standard procedures for this kind of event, a NOIWON (National Operational Intelligence Watch Officer’s Network) was initiated. This means that the Ops Centers at the White House, the CIA, DOD, the FBI, Homeland Security, the NSA and the National Counter Terrorism Center were alerted. Normally, when those Centers are alerted they start contacting the relevant officers and officials in their organizations who have a need to know.

At State Department, the Ops Center was instructed to NOT NOTIFY the Office of the Coordinator for Counter Terrorism. The Senior CT official in charge of handling overseas responses to terrorist attacks found out about the assault when he received a phone call from military Special Operations personnel who, in response to this news, initiated planning, per standing orders, for a possible overseas contingency response. What does that mean in English? We alerted our shooters to stand by to pack their bags and prepare to move Libya to help rescue US personnel and stop the bad guys. However, they do not move without an order from the President. They can pack their bags, but will not board aircraft unless Barack Obama says go. Obama dithered.

Obama met with Secretary of Defense Panetta and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff around 5pm. The attack in Benghazi had been underway for almost an hour. More alarming was the news from the front–Ambassador Chris Stevens was missing. No one knew where he was. Was he kidnapped? Dead? In hiding? No one knew. That’s the critical point.

As someone who has been involved in the response to these kinds of incidents for 25 years, and my experience includes helping train special ops forces for responding to these kinds of incidents, what did not happen next is truly shocking. Normally, a Secure Video Telephone Conference would be convened. This is the CSG (aka: the Counter Terrorism Security Group). The CSG consists of representatives from the US national security community who are experts in terrorism and the possible responses/options that should be recommended to the President.

But this groups was not convened. The Department of State, and I’m talking Hillary Clinton and Pat Kennedy here, in coordination with the National Security Council, and this includes current CIA Director John Brennan, decided not to assemble the CSG because they did not want to admit that a terrorist attack was taking place on the anniversary of the 2001 attacks that devastated America.

I do not blame Barack Obama nor Hillary Clinton for not having full info about what was happening in Benghazi. That is fog of war. That is normal. But they did know one critical, undeniable fact–AMBASSADOR CHRIS STEVENS WAS MISSING. And what did they do? NOTHING!!

No tasking of intelligence assets. No contingency planning for finding and rescuing Stevens. Nothing but Crickets. It is essential for the American public to understand that the machinery of Government dedicated to combating terrorism that normally would have been activated to start planning and gathering resources was frozen. This was a deliberate, conscious decision by Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. Instead, the response was handled piece meal. The US National Counter Terrorism force eventually was alerted and deployed, but they left late and arrived in the theater long after the attack had ceased.

One other important point to note. Once mortars were fired on the CIA Annex, it was clear, with no doubt, that this was a pre-planned, organized attack. A retired military officer at the Department of State, an individual with experience in training and employing mortar squads, knew immediately the implications of mortar fire on the CIA site. This was not a weapon of opportunity nor serendipity. It was pre-planned. The mortar is a crew served weapon and was “sighted” in on the CIA base. What does that mean? The terrorists who were firing the mortar had trained in advance to ensure they could fire the weapon a specific distance to hit the target.

And what did Hillary and Obama initially claim? That this was a spontaneous riot incited by an obscure anti-Muslim video. That was a lie. Knowledgeable, experienced military officers communicated the reality of the mortar fire to Secretary Clinton and to the White House. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton chose to ignore those informed briefings.

As the attack unfolded in Benghazi, no one in Washington or on the ground in Benghazi knew how long the attack would last. There was no prior warning that the assault would be confined to a set period of time. So why did Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton react so passively? That is the key question they have refused to answer.

They deliberately covered up what happened and embarked on a propaganda campaign to deceive the American people. Remember what Susan Rice told ABC’s Jake Tapper?

ABC’s “This Week”:

JAKE TAPPER: So, first of all, what is the latest you can tell us on who these attackers were at the embassy or at the consulate in Benghazi? We’re hearing that the Libyans have arrested people. They’re saying that some people involved were from outside the country, that there might have even been Al Qaeda ties. What’s the latest information?

MS. RICE: Well, Jake, first of all, it’s important to know that there’s an FBI investigation that has begun and will take some time to be completed. That will tell us with certainty what transpired.

But our current best assessment, based on the information that we have at present, is that, in fact, what this began as, it was a spontaneous — not a premeditated — response to what had transpired in Cairo. In Cairo, as you know, a few hours earlier, there was a violent protest that was undertaken in reaction to this very offensive video that was disseminated.

We believe that folks in Benghazi, a small number of people came to the embassy to — or to the consulate, rather, to replicate the sort of challenge that was posed in Cairo. And then as that unfolded, it seems to have been hijacked, let us say, by some individual clusters of extremists who came with heavier weapons, weapons that as you know in — in the wake of the revolution in Libya are — are quite common and accessible. And it then evolved from there.

This was not the result of fog of war. This was a lie. A deliberate deception.

If the American public could get access to the Top Secret briefings that were prepared for Senior Policymakers, including Obama, Clinton and Panetta, on the evening of September 11th regarding what was unfolding in Benghazi, they would be shocked by the clarity and specificity that was available early on. The people/group involved in the attack was quickly identified thanks to the work of one of the US intelligence agencies. As House Intel Committee Chairman noted on Fox News Sunday, an Al Qaeda affiliate was clearly identified as having a critical role in the attack.

It is essential to keep these facts in mind as the New York Times and other media outlets try to confuse and deceive the American public. What happened in Benghazi on the 11th of September 2012 was a premeditated terrorist attack against US citizens, who were denied requested security assistance by their Government, carried out by Islamic extremists affiliated with Al Qaeda. This is not a theory. This is a fact.

"Is there no way we can change its name to 'Hillarycare?'"

The latest in the hilarious serious of "Hitler Learns..." parodies.

This time, it's the Obamacare exchanges being skewered.

Hillary Clinton and "Smart Diplomacy"

In a 2011 interview on CBS' "Face The Nation," just days after Syrian troops had opened fire on peaceful protesters, then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton defended Syrian despot Bashar Al Assad as a "different leader" from his murderous, autocratic father and called him a "reformer."



Yeah, about that...

Bill Clinton's legacy dies a little more...

William J. Clinton did a lot of things while he was president. Like every president, some were positive; others...not so much.

Today, we learned that two of his "legacies" have died.

The first: Marc Rich, the former fugitive oil trader and founder of the commodities trading giant Glencore International, died on Wednesday in Lucerne, Switzerland. He was 78. Rich, who often operated his "businesses" in the shadows (including "buy[ing] oil from Iran after the country’s 1979 Islamic revolution despite American sanctions against the country") was pardoned by Clinton "on his last day in office in early 2001. The pardon brought the oil trader back into the headlines after it was revealed that Mr. Rich’s former wife, Denise Eisenberg, had given [significant] donations to the Democratic Party in 2000, according to official records."

The second: the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which Clinton had signed into law, was struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court (5-4 decision). In a statement issued jointly with his wife, Hillary, there was no mention of the role Mr. Clinton played in making DOMA the law of the land. "By overturning the Defense of Marriage Act, the Court recognized that discrimination towards any group holds us all back in our efforts to form a more perfect union," the couple said in the statement. "

Bill Clinton signing the Defense of Marriage Act into law.  

Two big hits like that in one day? Ya gotta feel for Bill...

Where was he?

Where was President Obama as Americans waited for help in Benghazi?

"Brave men died last September...more than nine months later, the question remains unanswered: Where was the president?"

Read more here...

Hillary - on the fly...

More TSA patter:

Earlier today, CBS' "Face the Nation" host Bob Schieffer asked Sec. of State Hillary Clinton if she would submit to a TSA pat-down.

HRC: "Not if I could avoid it. No. I mean who would?"

Exactly - who would?

(h/t: Mediaite)

"We know you don't have a choice when you fly..."

Radio, Radio...

Tonight, I'll be doing another stint as a co-host on the John Batchelor Show with my friend and colleague, Gordon Chang.

The guest list and topics for tonight’s show (6-10 p.m. Pac Time):

Toshi Yoshihara - post-World War II Japan

Elisabeth Eaves - “ghost cities”

Jim Walsh - nuclear proliferation since WWII

Yifei Zhang - China coal mines

Dean Cheng - China and North Korea

Andrew Benton - higher education

Tunku Varadarajan - Hillary Clinton

Tom Henriksen - Afghan and Africa

Jonathan Knowles - robotics

Christine Loh - her book Underground Front: The Chinese Communist Party in Hong Kong

Carla Marinucci - California's budget deficit

Bill Thomas - Maryland politics

Mary Kissel - Indonesia anti-corruption court

Paul Vigna - U.S. economy

Rick Fisher - the Chinese space program.

Check the John Batchelor Show website for details, schedules, stations, etc.

Hope to see you there!

The Week Ahead®

A look at some of the people and events making news this week…

Question: Who said this? - “I’m not going to rest or be satisfied until the leak is stopped at the source, the oil in the Gulf is contained and cleaned up, and the people in the Gulf are able to go back to their lives and their livelihoods.” Question: Who is about to embark on his third vacation since the leak began?

Thank goodness that's been taken care of...now he can take that break he so richly deserves!

Add oil: With the Obama Administration’s ban on offshore drilling, companies are closing down operations in U.S. waters…and moving them to international locations…where rules aren’t as stringent…oh, and taking thousands of American jobs with them.

Add “break time!”: I think this makes it 39 rounds of golf since taking office – Hope & Change & Tee Times.

Just making sure to plug all the holes...

According to The Washington Post, “In an effort to replicate the tea party's success, 170 liberal and civil rights groups are forming a coalition that they hope will match the movement's political energy and influence. They promise to ‘counter the tea party narrative’ and help the progressive movement find its voice again after 18 months of floundering.” They’re calling it the “One Nation” movement. Previously, it was known as the “Democratic Party.”

What is Jerry Brown’s plan to fix the budget mess in California if he should be elected governor? It’s a secret, of course…

Another '60s-'70s politician had a "secret plan"...

Of course they’re not the only ones: “California Republicans seek to unravel Obama's health care law”

Did you hear the one about the Veep who flies into LA for an appearance on “The Jay Leno Show” and causes hours of delays at Los Angeles International Airport? Yeah, real funny.

This is what happens when Al Gore moves into the neighborhood: “ What summer? Record cold at LAX as July gloom continues”

Speaking of global warming: How did actor/activist Leonardo DiCaprio balance concerns over “warming” with his desire to see the World Cup in-person? Why, fly on a private jet to South Africa, of course…

News item: “PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Former President Bill Clinton says he's frustrated that international donors aren't making good on a lot of the earthquake aid they promised for Haiti. In an interview with The Associated Press ahead of the six-month anniversary of the quake, Clinton says donors have given only 10 percent of the aid they promised. Clinton is co-chairman of the commission overseeing reconstruction aid.” Somewhat related news item: “Clintons Eyeing $10.9 Million Home In Bedford Hills”

Irony thy name is "Clinton"...

So explain the argument for bigger government…again: “Inflated Federal Pay: How Americans Are Overtaxed to Overpay the Civil Service”

I know we promised to never mention LeBron James but this bears mentioning – why did LeBron choose Miami (Florida) over Cleveland (and Ohio)? Well, one reason is that the high cost of living in the latter, particularly when it comes to taxes, can be punishing. Just ask Tiger Woods and a host of other big-time athletes and celebs why they’ve moved to Florida and the reason most cited: no state tax. In LeBron’s case, signing with Miami stands to make him millions more in the long run.

Missed it by that much...

It’s been a tough week for some of our best-known politicians. Where to begin?...

Department of Overreaching: Because the health insurance reform bill has progressed so well through Congress, it’s probably a good idea to start toying with immigration. According to the Los Angeles Times story, “Nick Shapiro, a White House spokesman, said the president's support for an immigration bill, which would also include improved border security, was ‘unwavering.’" Just wondering – does this mean a public option is included?

The plan's architects/pushers: Chuck Schumer (D-Obnoxious) and Lindsey Graham (R-Milquetoast)...

Department of Underachieving: Latin American tinpot dictator Hugo Chavez recently had not-so-nice words about U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton “"To me, she's like Condoleezza Rice ... a blond Condoleezza.” No reaction yet from Dr. Rice.

Having a "blonde moment"...

You know who is going to beat Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Roulette) in his upcoming bid for re-election? Harry Reid.

Say your prayers...

Add Reid: This week, the Dems’ woes weren’t all his doing. There were many contributions.

Add Dems’ woes: Looks like they are going to kill the messenger.

Over at the The People’s Republic of Matthewsanistan (aka: MSNBC), it’s just getting worse.

They told me if I voted for McCain, the Feds would “dig into Internet communications”…and they were right!

Arnold and Jerry: A tale of two (failed) politicians.


"Yeah, I didn't do that right, either..."

If at first you don't suceed...

...try something else.

Hey, GOP. Remember how profligate spending helped run the party out of Washington? Remember how Tea Parties usually zero-in on hacks and lying politicians? Then why in the heck are you doing this?

And Justice for all? Forever?


Lady Justice?...

No smart alecky remark here. This is just the Tweet O’ The Week©!

You’re getting warmer: looks like they’re starting to follow the money.

This just in from the icebox formerly known as Washington, D.C.: “UPDATE: The following Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works hearing [has] been postponed due to inclement weather this week: The Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works will hold a hearing entitled, ‘Global Warming Impacts, Including Public Health, in the United States.’”


Congress shut down due to heavy weather. (Thank You, God!)

When it comes to science, when all else fails look at the data. (Which might explain why some of that climate change information is coming into question.)

“Forget all that! If we really want to get to the bottom of this weather stuff, we need more bureaucracy.”


It didn't seem possible, but things actually got chillier in D.C...

Looks like Ol’ Rahm is the one getting the finger this time.

From the president’s mouth to tourists’ ears (Sen. Reid – please explain to the 350 or so employees that will no longer have a job how that Hope & Change is working for them.)

Demonize any place long enough and you're bound to bring some sort of Change...

I wasn’t impressed by Sarah Palin cribbing reminders on the palm of her hand (for an interview), but if you’re going to go after her at least don’t immolate yourself in the process.

Add Palin: I guess White House spokeshole Robert Gibbs wasn’t listening to his boss’ chat with the press before he took the stage.

"What does the writing on my hand say? Quit acting like a jackass..."

The shoe is on the other foot...

"There is this standard where Democrats feel that they can say these things and they can apologize when it comes from the mouths of their own. But if it comes from anyone else, it is racism." – Michael Steele, chairman of the Republican National Committee

True, true, true - especially when it comes to this weekend’s news that U.S. Senate majority leader Harry Reid (D-NV) described President Obama as "light skinned" and possessing no "Negro dialect" in a conversation with reporters described in the new book, “Game Change.”


Shall we dance? The president and the majority leader in better times...

Reid did have something to say after being busted: “"I deeply regret using such a poor choice of words," said Reid in a statement. ”I sincerely apologize for offending any and all Americans, especially African Americans for my improper comments."

President Obama said in a statement that he and Reid had spoken about the matter on Saturday afternoon. "I accepted Harry's apology without question because I've known him for years, I've seen the passionate leadership he's shown on issues of social justice and I know what's in his heart," said Obama. "As far as I am concerned, the book is closed."

But it’s nothing new. Consider the following:

• "You cannot go into a Dunkin' Donuts or a 7-Eleven unless you have a slight Indian accent."
• "My state was a slave state. My state is a border state. My state has the eighth largest black population in the country. My state is anything [but] a Northeastern liberal state."
• "I mean, you got the first mainstream African American [Barack Obama] who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice looking guy."
• "There's less than 1% of the population of Iowa that is African American. There is probably less than 4% or 5% that is, are minorities. What is it in Washington? So look, it goes back to what you start off with, what you're dealing with." - Sen. Joseph Biden Jr., (D., Del.), 2006-07, Chairman, Committee on the Judiciary, 1987-95 Chairman, Committee on Foreign Relations, Candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination, 2008

-- "Everybody likes to go to Geneva. I used to do it for the Law of the Sea conferences and you'd find these potentates from down in Africa, you know, rather than eating each other, they'd just come up and get a good square meal in Geneva." --Sen. Ernest F. Hollings (D., S.C.) 1993

--Reid once rushed to declare Justice Thomas to be “an embarrassment to the Supreme Court.” When pressed for specifics, Reid declared that one of Thomas’s opinions was similar to “an eighth-grade dissertation” — far inferior, Reid said, to the opinion of Justice Scalia in the same case. Except that Thomas’s short opinion was perfectly logical . . . and Scalia hadn’t even written an opinion in the case. Law professor Eugene Volokh decried Reid’s comments about Thomas as “unfounded assertions of incompetence” backed up with “false statements” and “mischaracterizations.” What was it about the black justice Thomas that Reid didn’t like? That made him inferior to the white justice who hadn’t even written an opinion in the case? Hmmm? (h/t: Patterico’s Pontifications)

--“In the book "Game Change," there’s this item -“[A]s Hillary bungled Caroline, Bill’s handling of Ted was even worse. The day after Iowa, he phoned Kennedy and pressed for an endorsement, making the case for his wife. But Bill then went on, belittling Obama in a manner that deeply offended Kennedy. Recounting the conversation later to a friend, Teddy fumed that Clinton had said, A few years ago, this guy would have been getting us coffee.”

--"Ousted Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich says he's 'blacker than Barack Obama.'"

For a nice collection of other quotes from the party of tolerance and inclusion, check this out.

Late add Reid: Looks like he might be in a little bit deeper.

A final note: It’s worth checking out this item at The Weekly Standard – ”Obama in '02: 'The Republican Party itself has to drive out Trent Lott.”

And a special closing number...courtesy of our current Secretary of State (and the president's former campaign opponent):

Predictions abound…

Now that 2010 is officially here, it’s time to trot out the Magic 8 Ball™ for our annual BlissIndex© New Year’s Predictions®.



*Even though the ObamaCare Healthcare er, Insurance Reform bill will continue to languish in Congress, the Democrats will trumpet having written a bill that contains more pages than all the Harry Potter books put together.


I see dead trees...

*Some of the changes that will be proposed in the Democrats’ House-Senate Conference Committee will mean that health care will not be rationed, per se. Medical procedures, however, will be approved by that stingy guy who doled out gruel in “Oliver.”



More - please? Anything??

*America’s military will continue to become more deeply involved in Afghanistan, but few Americans will give it much consideration (due to the fact that the education of many Americans is so poor that most are unable to locate Afghanistan on a map – let alone be able to spell it).


I know where that is...

*President Barack Obama will refocus his efforts on jobs and the economy. His efforts to improve the current situation will include a second Stimulus package, a raft of new taxes, and an innovative way to beef-up the U.S. Treasury: $10 piggyback rides on Joe Biden.


There is a weight limit...

*As the pressures of the job continue to wear on him, the president will become even more fanatical about getting out on the golf course. His handicap will improve by a couple strokes but the number of cigarettes he burns through will increase inversely.

Smoke 'em if you've got 'em...right Mr. President?

*The federal government will continue to print worthless money…and we’ll continue to spend it.


Spending it like there's no tomorrow...

*Hillary Rodham Clinton, our current Secretary of State, will contemplate resigning after catching heck for the State Dept. not doing more to prevent the Christmas terror incident in Detroit. It will be OK by her, making her next run against Obama that much easier.


Hillary - getting ready for another run?

*Janet Napolitano, Department of Homeland Security secretary, will continue to catch heck for her handling of the Christmas terror incident in Detroit. She will remain on the job but George W. Bush will be fired for the gaffes.


Ja-No...

*The swine flu epidemic will subside, but after another worthless season of horrible programming on NBC, it will be renewed for another run.


Hit me with your best shot...

*You’ll be stuck with another year of…me.

Happy New Year!

And the winner is...

So, President Barack Obama "won" a Nobel Prize...for Peace (at least that's what it says on the trophy). Lots of reaction here in the U.S. - natch. Here's what news media types in other parts of the world are saying about it...(Funniest line?: Courtesy of "the left-wing NRC Handelsblad (Netherlands): ”What got into the committee to award this prize to a man who has yet to live up to the high expectations? Were they drunk?”

For whatever it's worth, I don't think you can blame Obama for doing anything other than accepting the prize. (If he had demurred, I would've saluted him from here til the end of his administration.) But the bottom line is he didn't win it for anything he's done other than make speeches. That's a pretty low bar, especially when you measure him against previous winners (minus Arafat and Kissinger...maybe a few others).

TIME gets into the act...

Saturday Night Live scores again...

According to Eleanor Clift, "The truth stings even when it's packaged in laughs."

So who gets to nominate? From the folks who hand these baubles out:

Qualified Nominators
The right to submit proposals for the Nobel Peace Prize shall, by statute, be enjoyed by:
1. Members of national assemblies and governments of states;
2. Members of international courts;
3. University rectors; professors of social sciences, history, philosophy, law and theology; directors of peace research institutes and foreign policy institutes;
4. Persons who have been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize;
5. Board members of organizations who have been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize;
6. Active and former members of the Norwegian Nobel Committee; (proposals by members of the Committee to be submitted no later than at the first meeting of the Committee after February 1)
and7. Former advisers appointed by the Norwegian Nobel Institute.
The Nobel Peace Prize may also be awarded to institutions and associations.


You also need an understanding of the "inside game."

Add nominations: For whatever it's worth, the nomination process began two months before the general elections here in the U.S. and closed just 12 days into Obama's first term (or 0.82 percent of the way into his presidency).

Maybe she should have won some sort of prize. I mean, she actually accomplished something.

Finally, a reminder: Tonight, from 8 – 8:30 p.m. (Pacific Time), it’s another edition of The John Batchelor Show. I’ll be joining my fellow panelists to discuss the events and news of the week. You can listen to the show at KSFO-AM 560 San Francisco/Northern California, KFI-AM 640 Los Angeles/Southern California, WABC-AM 77 NY, WMAL-AM 630 Washington, D.C., and on XM/Sirius Satellite Radio (throughout the universe).