Ah, this glorious new world where we’re no longer casually offending other nations with our actions. From noted British right-wing rag The Guardian:

Barack Obama’s trip to Oslo to pick up his Nobel peace award is in danger of being overshadowed by a row over the cancellation of a series of events normally attended by the prizewinner.

Norwegians are incensed over what they view as his shabby response to the prize by cutting short his visit.

The White House has cancelled many of the events peace prize laureates traditionally submit to, including a dinner with the Norwegian Nobel committee, a press conference, a television interview, appearances at a children’s event promoting peace and a music concert, as well as a visit to an exhibition in his honour at the Nobel peace centre.

I personally didn’t want him to accept the thing in the first place, but if you’re going to take the Nobel Peace Prize, you go and you do the whole experience. Even if parts of it are boring. Even if parts of it are not fun.  Even if parts of it are impositions on your time.

I was about to suggest that the President apparently just wants to be a constitutional monarch, instead – except that the European royal families typically are better at enduring dull ceremonial with good grace than this guy is.  So I’ll just note that we’re stuck with a POTUS that seems to just not want to work for a living.

Moe Lane

Crossposted to Moe Lane.