Here’s a prediction: This whole thing will resolve itself nicely along partisan lines. Here’s how it will happen.

Step 1 – Upon learning that the Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to Barack Obama, everybody has an honest first reaction. Reactions such as “is this a joke?”, “WTF?!”, and “uh .. why?”

Step 2 – Everybody looks at how everybody else reacted to the news. They notice that some people they hate had the same reaction they did.

Step 3 – This makes some people uncomfortable. This isn’t how the world is supposed to work. They start looking for some way to disagree with the people they hate.

Step 4 – A few pioneers find it in the they’re going too far excuse. As in: “Yes this was strange, but the people who are using this as part of some anti-Obama / anti-Jagland hate campaign are going too far.”

Step 5 – They move from there to “well maybe this kind of makes sense when you think about it”.

Step 6 – This sends the signal for everyone to align themselves into two familiar camps, ie those who think “the critics are going too far, those guys are assholes” vs those who think “the defenders are going too far, those guys are assholes“.

Step 7 – Problem solved. Unease eased. The price: Everybody becomes stupider than they were.