Regarding the Oct. 14 editorial, "Nobel invests hope in leadership": The Japan Times, like any other newspaper in the world, certainly has a right to express its editorial opinion for or against the selection of U.S. President Barack Obama as the recipient of this year's Nobel Peace Prize. Such opinions are presumed to be based on what the American president has or has not accomplished to further the cause of world peace during his less than nine months in office.
What has been overlooked in virtually all of this commentary is when the small group of Norwegian academics who decided on the award actually began considering Obama's qualifications. Since the nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize had to be submitted by Feb. 1, Obama's qualifications must have been based on little more than his political campaign rhetoric before becoming president, rather than on anything he may or may not have accomplished since his inauguration Jan. 20.