AND IF HE ACTUALLY HAD REFUSED IT?

In today's New York Times, Ross Douthat published the 87,000th identical right-wing opinion column arguing that Barack Obama should have refused the Nobel. I won't address the specifics of Douthat's wholly unoriginal arguments for refusal; I'm trying to imagine what noises would be emanating from the right if he had stepped out on Friday and refused the damn thing.

Ooooh! He refused it! Who does he think he is? Le Duc Tho? Sartre? Whatever happened to No-Drama Obama?

Drama Queen Obama just made a statement saying that he doesn't think he's earned it yet? That's like saying you think you haven't earned a flaming turd on your doorstep! It's a ridiculous award! They gave it to Al Gore and Jimmy Carter, fer crissake! If it actually meant something, Ronald Reagan would have won it -- eight years running!

Typical Obama -- he gives the queen an iPod and now he has the bad taste and lack of manners to turn this into an international melodrama. Now the world will be focused on him next month when all these silly Scandinavians convene in Oslo and Diva Barack isn't there!

It's all about him -- it's always all about him.

Really, it's just his way of saying, "You think I'm great? I'm going to be even greater!" He's trying to look humble, but we can see through his act. It's just the opposite of what it seems to be -- it's his biggest moment of narcissism yet.