Early this morning, I sat down in front of the computer for a quick check of the early headlines, etc. The AOL screen came up with a headline that said something like “Surprise Nobel winner.”

I saw a big picture of President Obama to the left. I  thought, “oh, someone put in the wrong JPEG … I wonder who won the Nobel Peace Prize?”

And then, it clicked. Good thing that coffee wasn’t ready yet, so there was nothing to spew. It was a shocker. The more I read, the more I saw the how the committee determined that choice, and it is, after all, their award to give. (And it says a great deal about the importance of the American engagement in the world, which we in the U.S. may not always fully see.)

The Norwegian Nobel Committee cited Obama’s “efforts to strengthen international diplomacy,” and his “vision of and work for a world without nuclear weapons” and for inspiring hope and creating “a new climate in international politics.” I’ve proudly noticed how the Nobels this year in the sciences have had heavy U.S. representation — scientists whose work over decades hase begun to produce results. It’s worth noting that the Peace Prize is given by a different committee, with a different mission.

What I’ve found really interesting is the variety of responses, many not so different than mine (borderline bemusement).

The comment of Lech Walesa, who won the 1983 Nobel Peace Prize in The Wall Street Journal :

Who, Obama? So fast? Too fast—he hasn’t had the time to do anything yet.

Here’s that world perspective we sometimes miss, courtesy of former U.N. secretary general and 2001 Nobel recipient Kofi Annan:

In an increasingly challenging and volatile world, President Obama has given a sense of hope and optimism to millions around the world.

And that American-as-partisanship-pie perspective from Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele:

The real question Americans are asking is, ‘What has President Obama actually accomplished?

Here’s part of a comment sent to me by Pastor Johann Christoph Arnold, who first states “As much as I love and respect our president, this was a hasty decision that will not bring good consequences”:

Jesus says we will know a tree by its fruits. Even the best fruit takes time to ripen. How can our president – as good-willing as he might be – bear meaningful fruit after less than a year in office?  The Nobel Committee should do better than this. I hope that many other voices will join me in expressing their disappointment in this decision.

Independent Institute Research Analyst Anthony Gregory, in response to some conservative pundits who expressed concern the Nobel committee was making it harder for Obama to keep U.S. troops, and ramp up military presence, in Afghanistan:

The real problem with Obama’s Nobel is not that it might neuter him, but rather that it may embolden him. In the name of peace, he and previous presidents have kept America in a virtual state of perpetual war for three generations. The Nobel is a signal to Obama that he can keep talking like a man of peace even as he acts like a master of war. Those who favored Obama, thinking he’d be less belligerent against Iran than McCain, now have more reason to worry.