A Nobel Joke

Mohamed ElBaradei and the International Atomic Energy Agency that he heads won the 2005 Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for their efforts to stop the spread of nuclear weapons.

ElBaradei, a 63-year-old lawyer from Egypt, has led the U.N. nuclear agency as it grappled with the crisis in Iraq and the ongoing efforts to prevent North Korea and Iran from acquiring nuclear arms.

Let me get this straight. North Korea has already said that they've acquired nuclear weapons. Iran is on the verge of obtaining enough nuclear materials to build a nuclear weapon. And yet, the IAEA is going to be called a success for this? What planet are the folks who decided this prize on?!

The Nobel Peace Prize has long been a complete and utter joke. If Palestinian terrorist Yasir Arafat could win one, that means the prize has completely lost whatever meaning it originally had. Which wasn't much. Giving the prize to an organization that has looked the other was as various Islamic countries have sought out nuclear weapons and technology with the express and very public declaration of using them against their enemies is not my idea of a successful organization.

The IAEA had nothing to do with Libya giving up its nuclear program. The breakup of the AH Khan nuclear proliferation ring had nothing to do with IAEA activities.

So, what did the IAEA win for?

"At a time when the threat of nuclear arms is again increasing, the Norwegian Nobel Committee wishes to underline that this threat must be met through the broadest possible international cooperation. This principle finds its clearest expression today in the work of the IAEA and its director general."

ElBaradei said in Vienna, Austria, that the prize "sends a strong message" about the agency's disarmament efforts and will strengthen his resolve to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons.

That argument doesn't fly. Nuclear proliferation hasn't been something that suddenly became an issue. It has been beneath the IAEA radar for years, and it took the war in Iraq to bring it to the fore. Since 2002, the Khan ring was uncovered, and the extent of that proliferation ring has been known. Countries that we didn't think had nuclear programs did - and were more advanced than we could have imagined. Yet the IAEA gets the award for sending a message?! Sorry, but actions count larger than words.

UPDATE:
Righteous indignation reigns supreme over this award. Wizbang fires for effect.