Well, the Norwegian Nobel Committee, in awarding the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize to Barack Obama has finally accomplished what reality TV has long tried, but failed, to do. It has made reality so spectacularly ridiculous that no amount of sarcastic mockery could possibly satirize it.

Though if we’re willing to hop in our Way-Back Machine™ to 2007, we can gain some perspective. In 2007 the Nobel Committee saw fit to award this prize to Al Gore for giving slideshow presentations, and having a movie made about it. Yes, slideshows and a movie. Because, apparently the Academy Awards just don’t have the gravitas they used to.

It should come as a surprise to absolutely nobody, that only two short years later, they’d be willing to give it to President Barack Obama for maintaining an illegal war of aggression, escalating an ongoing war of dubious merit and justification, perpetuating human rights violations, evading U.S. war crimes prosecution obligations, advancing a regime of indefinite administrative detention, and haranguing Iran over its nuclear program based on a misrepresentation of the facts.

Nobel Peace Prize? Sure why not? While we’re at it we should consider giving him a Clark Medal for his insights into how to exploit a financial crisis to the benefit of financiers.