Oslo

Now that the 24-hour news cycle has passed, and we can disregard the political distractions which surrounded the president's Nobel speech, we can sit back, read it, and objectively assess its content.

Like so many attention-challenged Americans, "mine eyes glaze over" at contemplating listening to any speech running more than 5-minutes, no matter how impressive the orator. This, however, was a speech more rewarding in the reading of it than in its delivery, pace Mr. Obama's formidable speechifying skills.

It will have completely satisfied neither the peaceniks nor the warhawks, being a jesuitical mix of Bismarckian realpolitiks tempered by the teachings of Teilhard de Chardin, but it strikingly reflects Mr. Obama's increasingly centrist views.

While some leading Republicans gave it good marks, I must take issue with Bradley E. Blakeman who, writing for Politico, offers the president "kudos" for the speech by asserting that "George W. Bush could have delivered the very same speech". While Mr. Bush may well have felt philosophically comfortable delivering it, that he could have conceived and written it is a reach too far.

For those so inclined, the speech can be read at: http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2009/12/10/obama_transcript_nobel_peace_prize_acceptance_speech_99499.html?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=rcp-today-newsletter