Nobel Prizes Take the Prize - Bush a Longshot

Is there a pattern in the awarding of the various Nobel Prizes--maybe a political pattern? Read about the latest Nobel Prize winner and see if you can find a clue.

Pinter wins Nobel literary prize

Pinter, 75, whose plays include The Birthday Party and Betrayal, was announced as the winner of the $1.3m (£723,000) cash prize on Thursday.

The Nobel academy said Pinter's work "uncovers the precipice under everyday prattle and forces entry into oppression's closed rooms".

The playwright is known for speaking out on issues like the war on Iraq.

Pinter, widely regarded as the UK's greatest living playwright, is well-known for his left-wing political views.

A critic of US and UK foreign policy, he has voiced opposition on a number of issues including the bombing of Afghanistan in 2001.

Nah, I can't figure it out, either. No pattern with this and other prizes. Let's look further.

'Political element' to Pinter prize

...his outspoken criticism of US foreign policy and opposition to the war in Iraq undoubtedly make him one of the more controversial figures to be awarded this prestigious honour.

Indeed, the Nobel academy's decision could be read in some quarters as a selection with an inescapably political element.

"There is the view that the Nobel literature prize often goes to someone whose political stance is found to be sympathetic at a given moment," said Alan Jenkins, deputy editor of the Times Literary Supplement.

(Michael Attenborough, director of the Almeida Theatre in Islington, north London) says he would be "amazed" if the prize was in recognition of its recipient's anti-war stance.

Oh, man! I thought I had it figured until I read that last sentence. There goes my theory that the awarding of Nobel prizes is directly related to the recipients' criticisms of President Bush and the United States. However, I wouldn't be surprised if Barbra Streisand and George Soros win one day.