Alanis Morissette Gets High from Running – and the Occasional Joint

Alanis Morissette struggled with depression her whole life, but recently, she found an effective antidote: running.

Morissette, 35, tells Runner's World that "running has made being depressed impossible. If I'm going through something emotional and just go outside for a run, you can rest assured I'll come back with clarity."

The Grammy-winning singer, who has run two marathons, tries to live a healthy lifestyle, including eating lots of kale. But she still occasionally indulges "in red wine, and it's fun to have medical marijuana once in a while," she says. "I still party and include a little debauchery."

Always an active athlete – Morissette says she was once a "hard core" swimmer who trained seven days a week – she sometimes struggles with the motivation to run. "But I tie my laces, put on a tight bra and get out there like a little robot. The first 10 minutes are excruciating, but soon I get into the flow."

Morissette ran the two marathons for charity and did November's New York City Marathon with Edward Norton on behalf of the Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust. In October, she did the Bizz Johnson Trail Marathon through Lassen National Forest in California, representing the National Eating Disorders Association.

"I struggled with eating disorders, especially in my teens," she says, "but I've noticed when I treat my body like an instrument instead of an ornament, my relationship with food completely changes.'

Pink: Carey Hart Taught Me the Power of Love

Pink's heart will always be with back-on-again husband Carey Hart, even as she promotes her new Funhouse album in Europe.

But it hasn't been an easy road.

"When I met Carey, I was an abused puppy in the corner, ready to bite anyone who put their hand out," the singer, 30, tells Women's Health for its January/February cover story. "He was the first man I was with who allowed me to take a deep breath and close my eyes and fall backwards."

The sometimes rosy-haired rocker married the motocross racer in a posh wedding in Costa Rica in 2006, only to split two years later, while Pink was working on her new album. But love has since blossomed again, with the pair's reconciliation earlier this year.

Now, Pink says Hart has helped her open her heart fully to love. "Most of the time, he was there. That's more than I can say about others," she tells the magazine. "My heart was like this clenched fist. And even after he broke my heart, still, I had two bigger halves. I have more capacity to love and be loved."

'World Turns' fans turn to network, social media after soap canceled

Longtime fans of the soap opera "As the World Turns" are mourning the loss of their daily date with the folks in the fictional town of Oakdale, Illinois, after CBS announced the cancellation of the long-running daytime drama this week.
To vent their frustrations, some diehard fans have called the network and its affiliates, and others have taken to social media to vent their frustrations.

When she hard the news, Teria Goode of Greer, South Carolina, was so upset, she called WSPA, her local CBS affiliate, to air her grievances to morning news anchor Fred Cunningham.

"She just wanted to know who she could talk to at CBS, and she said she had been talking to friends of hers and wanted to know if she could subscribe or pay CBS to keep doing the show," Cunningham said. "I said I don't think they would do that kind of thing, but I suggested she call the main CBS number."

Goode, 28, has been watching "As The World Turns" her entire life. Her mother was also a fan of the show.

In the past, fans who were upset about a network's abrupt programming cancellation started letter-writing campaigns begging a network to keep a show on the air. Viewers today are savvier about the economic realities facing corporations that produce shows, like Proctor & Gamble, which has produced "As the World Turns" for 54 years.

"I want to know if there is some kind of option where we can pay a fee every month to keep our show on the air," Goode said. "There are millions of people who watch soaps out there, and I am sure they would agree to pay the money."

Goode, a stay-at-home mom with six kids, said she was mourning the loss of what started as a daily ritual with her mother and aunt when she was a girl. Now that she is an adult, watching the show has grown into her own routine.

" 'As the World Turns' going off the air really hurts, and I am really upset. I just hate to see it go without trying to do something about it," she said.

Fewer mothers today are passing down their love of soaps to their daughters the way that Goode's did, and the economic realities facing soap operas are something that a monthly subscription fee, like the one of $5 that Goode suggested, probably won't help fix.

As a scripted show, a soap opera can be a $50 million investment in original programming that runs daily for 52 weeks a year. Networks just aren't interested in investing that kind of money today, when a reality television show or daytime talk show can be produced at a fraction of the price and bring in just as many advertisers.

"It is an interesting idea to have customers pay for their soap operas, but it would have to be so many customers paying for it that it would be difficult to implement," said Lynn Leahy, the editorial director of Soap Opera Digest.

Leahy says her office has been inundated with calls and e-mails since the announcement that "As The World Turns" would stop turning with a final episode next September. But she thinks that this time around, fans seemed ready for the blow, since they experienced a similar hit in August when "Guiding Light," which had long been considered a sister soap of "As The World Turns," went off the air.

Many fans have taken to social networking sites. On Facebook, groups such as "We Won't Give Up On 'As The World Turns,' " and "Don't Cancel 'As The World Turns' " have begun.

Twitter is another outlet. "Woke this am still crushed that CBS is canceling my favorite soap, 'As the World Turns,' " a woman with the user name Tiffakia posted the social networking site. "It is true about ATWT... very depressed about it ... is it weird to feel like a chunk of your life is ending?" BuzzWorthyRadio posted.

Tanya Meyers, 19, started Facebook's "We Won't Give Up On 'As the World Turns,' " where she encourages group members to write letters to the Lifetime cable network, asking it to pick up the long-running soap.

"I'm just not ready to let it all go. Especially in these times of trouble and stress, the show is like an escape from it all, to just sit back, relax and watch all that delicious drama that the show does so well," Meyers said. "I've written to Lifetime in hopes that they'll show interest and pick it up. People are really all coming together to get something done, and it's amazing to see."
Leahy, of Soap Opera Digest, believes that some fans are mourning the loss of the community that comes from watching and talking about the soap plot lines with friends and even with strangers online.

"People have become friends online just because of their mutual affection for a show," Leahy said. "A soap opera offers a different kind of connection for the viewer. In a way, it's like an appointment to have coffee with your neighbor every day at a certain time. But then, you really do have coffee with that neighbor and talk about the show, so it is a community experience."
Though Goode's plan of soap subscription services may never pan out, that isn't stopping other passionate "As The World Turns" fans from circulating petitions and threatening to boycott products made by Proctor & Gamble.

An online petition on the Web site PetitionSpot.com had 435 supporters Wednesday night, with a goal of 100,000. "We are getting plenty of feedback from fans. There is a lot of interest in letter-writing campaigns and protests at affiliate stations. Angrier people are interested in boycotting products from Proctor & Gamble," said Matt Purvis, a writer who chronicles the show for Soaps.com.

NeNe and Kim to be cut from 'The Real Housewives'?

Some very disturbing reality TV news reached my ears this weekend, and for the first time in a month, it has nothing to do with "Jersey Shore."

According to the New York Daily News and People, NeNe Leakes and Kim Zolciak are very close to getting pink-slipped from "The Real Housewives of Atlanta."

Supposedly, the two are making through-the-roof payment demands to participate in season three of the show, not to mention that their constant feuding has gotten on producers' nerves.

"Bravo has been taking meetings with some notable and wealthy Atlanta women about possibly joining the show," said a source from the show. "They're trying their best to keep the process under wraps, but they're gearing up to make a major move in the third season."

One of the woman who was on the producers' original wish list: Tameka Foster, the soon-to-be-ex Mrs. Usher.
I just hope Bravo realizes that NeNe and Kim are "The Real Housewives of Atlanta." It's their super-sized personalities that make the show so compelling.

Kandi is sweet, Sheree is fun to hate, and Lisa is, well, bland, but really, the three only exist to give you a breather from the intense drama that is NeNe and Kim.

Feel free to add a housewife, but please, please do not take either of these two away from us. Or we'll pull off your wig.

Timberlake's Joke Steals the Show at Globes Noms

Note to future awards show nominations producers: Invite Justin Timberlake to read, as he was a breath of fresh air during the 2010 Golden Globes nominations show. With one simple sentence referring to John Krasinski's likely impending night of celebratory nookie thanks to his fiance's nomination, Timberlake once again proved he's the coolest dude in the room.

As Timberlake was presenting the nominees for Best Actress in a Drama, the first nominee was Emily Blunt for her role in 'The Young Victoria.' As chance would have it, Krasinski -- Blunt's fiance -- had just presented and was standing off-stage, causing Timberlake to go off-script a bit. "Ho ho ho," Timberlake joked, adding: "Somebody's gonna have a good night tonight."

As the room erupted in laughter, the bespectacled Timberlake feigned an apology, saying "Sorry" with a big smile.

Even his next words, in which he announced Sandra Bullock scored a nomination for 'The Blind Side,' was funny for no real reason at all. As the room chuckled, Timberlake thanked them.

Timberlake's lively spirit seems to have also influenced the nominees this year, as action flicks like 'Inglorious Basterds' and 'Avatar' got best picture and best director nods.

Are Airlines Going Too Far?

We all know that the airline industry is in survival mode. Air carriers are struggling to stay afloat in the face of daunting fuel costs and plunging travel demand. In the last year, for example, domestic carriers alone lost $11 billion.

In response, airlines are piling on the surcharges, pulling the "free" perks, and packing in extra seats. Believe it or not, the airline industry even has a specific conference dedicated to "ancillary fees"—and how to collect them without inciting consumer revolt. (It seems that they have pulling pennies from consumers down to a science—in 2008 airlines extracted $10.25 billion in these surcharges worldwide, an increase of 346% over 2006).

Are they going too far? Below we highlight some of the ways that air carriers are pushing their luck with consumers, but we want to hear from you. Are you less likely to fly as airlines become more and more aggressive in their quest for efficiency?

Booking Fees
The gouging begins with booking. If you don't purchase tickets online via the airline website, you're instantly assessed a $5-$25 surcharge (the only exception is Southwest Airlines). Allegiant even forces you to buy your ticket at the airport. Want to change your itinerary? You'll be asked to cough up as much $150 on American, Continental, United and US Airways, plus any difference in fares between your new and old dates. Cheap, nonrefundable fare classes can't be altered at all, while discount tickets purchased through third-party travel sites or agents carry even greater penalties. Flying confirmed standby on the same day of travel used to be a complimentary courtesy. Now most airlines charge to take an earlier or later flight on the same day as your original flight if you want a confirmed seat (you can still take your chances without a confirmation for free).

Costly Miles
Frequent fliers beware—flying for free isn't as easy as it used to be either. Most airlines now assess a booking fee for frequent flyer mile redemption; reserving without sufficient notice (an outrageous 22 days on Delta) will cost even more. Higher mileage requirements recently went into effect, re-banking miles for unused tickets (even with advance notice) costs up to $100, most airlines won’t even credit your account for flights under 500 miles, and American now charges moolah in addition to miles for upgrades. Same goes for any vouchers, which can’t be booked online, which means that you’re facing a phone surcharge.

Pre-Seat Selection
Want to select your steerage (ahem, economy) seats in advance? Air Canada, AirTran, and Allegiant now charge for this "perk." Then there’s "preferred" seat selection, which means that if you'll be charged extra if you choose a seat near the front, a window, the aisle, or in a roomy exist row (depending on the route, JetBlue, Virgin America, and United charge upwards of $100 for this privilege). These seats are usually released 24 hours prior to a flight; if you want to nab one you'll need to check in early online. United has even turned "extra leg room" into an annual service, charging $299 for Economy Plus, which entitles you and a companion to seats with five inches of extra legroom whenever available.

Baggage Fees
In the past couple of years, baggage fees have become standard procedure. Airlines now charge up to $25 if you exceed 50 pounds per check-in bag and in some cases one extra pound could cost up to $175. This on top of charging for checked luggage, initially your second bag, now the first on carriers like American, Northwest, United, Delta, and US Airways. US Airways and United even charge an additional $5 if you pay at check-in instead of opting for the "online discount." Even curbside check-in incurs a fee. The result? A lot less room in overhead compartments as more and more people stick to carry-ons.

Shrinking Seats and Less Leg Room
These days, it seems like airlines are trying to stuff as many seats as legally possible into new or reconfigured aircraft. But is that smart business? Kathy Kuhn alleges she injured her knee while trying to climb over a broken armrest during a Dec 7, 2009 Detroit-Las Vegas flight, necessitating surgery. The legal system didn’t consider her claim frivolous, as her lawsuit against Northwest Airlines, which denied liability, was moved last month from state to federal court in Detroit.

Loss of Freebies
The days of smiling flight attendants, free decks of playing cards, and complimentary meals are long gone. Now, passengers expect to be charged for everything snacks to pillows. US Airways even tried charging $2 for non-alcoholic drinks, but eliminated the fee when other airlines didn’t follow suit (expect this issue to reappear).

Sneaky Surcharges
Airlines now present consumers with a smorgasbord of surcharges. The carriers like to call these extras "convenience fees", suggesting that passengers can save money on fares by selecting which extras they would like to pay for. In some cases these surcharges truly are optional, such as the ones described above (blanket, headphones), in other cases they're less so. Want to fly with your infant? It will cost you up to 10 percent extra, depending on the airline. If you're flying British Airways or Air France, your tyke will also get slapped with a fuel surcharge. Airport improvement fees are another sneaky surcharge some airlines tack on. And whether you believe in global warming or not, you’ll even start paying more green to go green: The U.K. doubled its Air Passenger Duty, taxing consumers for flights’ greenhouse-gas emissions ($80 for coach passengers, $160 for first-class).

Can Tiger Ever Recover? Answer Is No

By Jay Mariotti

There's a portrait out there, which never has run on TMZ or in the seamier Internet crannies, of Tiger Woods and his family in happy times. It's one of the saddest, most pitiful photos you'll ever see. His wife, Elin, is smiling ear to ear, a picture of beauty and bliss and perfect teeth. Their daughter, Sam, is flashing a cute smile as she is smooched by one of the family dogs. And the man of the house? He's laughing with his eyes closed as he's licked in the face by another dog -- please, no wisecracks -- while his arm cradles then-newborn son Charlie, who is sleeping.

Makes you either want to scream or cry, knowing something so wonderful has shattered like nothing we've witnessed in sports or popular culture.

The issue now isn't when Woods will break Jack Nicklaus' record of 18 major championship victories. It's when he'll return to competitive golf and what kind of condition his game -- and pummeled psyche -- will be in when he emerges from his self-imposed break. In roughly the time it takes to slice a tee shot into the weeds, he plummeted from the highest plateaus of admiration and awe to the lowest depths of ridicule and disdain. He's now a laughingstock, a pariah, a corporate red flag and the antithesis of the role model we thought he was for a dozen years. Simply, a public figure of his magnitude can't portray himself in an impeccable, squeaky-clean way for so long, only to plunge into sordid, sleazy affairs with women so pathetically beneath his stature. The result has been a relentless firestorm of widespread backlash, all over the world, and even a man who has demonstrated enormous emotional strength on the course -- winning the 2008 U.S. Open on one leg, you remember -- will have difficulty resuming life as Tiger Woods.

In fact, I suspect his pride and ego -- so integral in fueling the swagger, attitude and mental toughness to rule a difficult game for so long -- will take such a beating that he returns not unlike the TV character to whom he was compared as a geeky college kid: Steve Urkel. Tiger as Urkel eventually will manage to win five major titles and pass Nicklaus, simply because his skills are too special. But the chase will take much longer than originally thought, into his 40s, and it will be accompanied by a lot of people who don't like him and don't want him passing Nicklaus, the ultimate family man. As far as ever resuming life as the great Tiger Woods, the global legend and most revered athlete on the planet, those days are long gone.

"It may not be possible," he wrote in his latest statement, "to repair the damage I've done."

That much he has right. It isn't possible.

He has been ripped, trashed and lampooned in all sectors of life. He has been dumped by Accenture, which on Sunday ended a six-year relationship with Woods that included a "High Performance" campaign -- please, no wisecracks -- and said in a statement, "(G)iven the circumstances of the last two weeks, after careful consideration and analysis, the company has determined that he is no longer the right representative for its advertising." He is being phased out by Gillette, yet another company rethinking the wisdom of having Woods as a spokesman. His commercials have been removed from all TV networks and channels during the holiday season. He has been excoriated by PGA Tour pro Jesper Parnevik, who introduced Woods to Elin earlier this decade and said Sunday on ESPN, "I vouched for the guy. I told her this is the guy that I think is everything you want. He's true. He's honest. He has great values. He has everything you would want in a guy. And uhh, I was wrong." He has become as big a cyber-freak show as Michael Jackson. He has been shunned by children, such as the band at a Wisconsin middle school that hoped to raise $1,600 from an auction of a Woods autograph picture -- and realized it would have to accept only $300 after the scandal. And, maybe most startlingly, he has made longtime problem child John Daly look stable and mature by comparison.

"I've tried to get hold of Tiger and his manager, but he just didn't want to talk to anybody. I feel like if there's anybody in this world -- after what I've gone through, the ups and downs -- I might give him some advice," said Daly, he of the four broken marriages, alcohol problems and PGA Tour suspension. "You don't stay married for the kids, you don't stay married for the money. You stay married because you love each other. I pray and hope they both get through it and if they ever need anything from me, both of them, I'll be happy to talk to them because I love them both.

"You can't imagine what he's going through, but he's definitely screwed up and I wish his statement had been a lot earlier. I'm in shock over it all, I think a lot of our players are in shock. I'm not happy with the way some of our players have responded. I think that's their way of getting back, because they know they can't beat him at golf. If I was him, I'd go to Oprah [Winfrey]. I would get on her show, tell the truth, and it doesn't matter what the media say any more, because it's all out in the open. I don't believe Tiger will retire from golf ... he's got five more majors to win to beat Jack."

Yet the fact Woods used a very powerful and vague word -- "indefinite" -- has more than a few people frightened in the golf, sports and corporate worlds. Depending on the state of his marriage and family, isn't it possible he could be gone for a long time? His Friday night statement, in which he acknowledged his "infidelity" for the first time, was wrapped in emphatic language. "I am deeply aware of the disappointment and hurt that my infidelity has caused to so many people, most of all my wife and children," Woods wrote. "I want to say again to everyone that I am profoundly sorry and that I ask forgiveness.

"I'd like to ask everyone, including my fans, the good people at my foundation, business partners, the PGA Tour, and my fellow competitors, for their understanding. What's most important now is that my family has the time, privacy, and safe haven we will need for personal healing. After much soul searching, I have decided to take an indefinite break from professional golf. I need to focus my attention on being a better husband, father, and person."

That will be much easier said than done. A day doesn't pass without a new development that suggests Woods and his family are fraught with too much turmoil to survive. Sunday's headlines included a report that a child-welfare agency -- the Florida Department of Children and Families -- visited the Woods home Saturday along with a marked police car. Anyone surprised? So much has happened inside that home, from the bizarre circumstances of his SUV accident -- were alcohol and drugs such as Vicodin and Ambien involved? -- to the ambulance that whisked Woods' stressed-out mother-in-law to the hospital. Of course, there should be strong concerns about the children, who are ages 2 and 8 months.

And if his main focus is saving his marriage, what of the reports that Elin has purchased a home on a small, isolated Swedish island that can be reached only by ferry boat? Will she leave him? If so, will it further push him away from golf? If he can't see his kids as often as he wants, how will it affect him mentally? These are not tabloid questions. These are fair, pertinent questions regarding when -- if -- he returns to the game that desperately needs him, the game that saw TV ratings drop 54 percent when he missed eight months last year after his season-ending knee surgery. If there has been one constant in sports and life this decade, it has been the dominance and mega-profile of Tiger Woods, the one athlete we thought we could trust in sport's era of The Big Lie. Seems he has told the biggest lie of all, bigger than Alex Rodriguez and Roger Clemens, bigger than Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa, bigger than Barry Bonds and Kobe Bryant, bigger than Michael Phelps and Marion Jones. His lie is biggest because it is the most shocking, the most opposite of his purported image, the most damaging to a profile that elevated him as the world's first billion-dollar athlete and chalked up 90 percent of his earnings to endorsements. He made a king's ransom off his image. Now, he is about to pay in ways that will cripple him mentally and dilute the star power of Woods in golf and beyond. Without him, golf returns to a niche status, now dependent on Phil Mickelson -- a more sympathetic figure than ever amid the breast cancer battles of his wife and mother -- and younger players to somehow put a charge into a game that has revolved around Tigermania since 1996.

"The tour has got to be worried, because what's the definition of indefinite?" said Greg Norman, once the world's top player. "Indefinite meaning, OK, it might be a year because a lot of issues have got to be resolved? That's the word you've kind of got to drill in on. It's probably damaged the game to a degree. I get texts from family members whose kids idolize Tiger, and they don't want to tell them because they don't want to pollute their minds with what's happened."

"I'm not happy with the way some of our players have responded. I think that's their way of getting back, because they know they can't beat him at golf."
-- John DalyOuch.

"I don't think it's going to help anything, that's for sure," said Nick Price, another former world No. 1. "Especially with the recession we're in now. It's hard enough to find sponsors, and now without Tiger it's going to be a challenge. I think there will be an effect. We all know that. There is an effect when he doesn't play in a tournament, let alone taking time off. He has been golf since he turned pro. And he's delivered on all of the expectations and more. But he needs to get his house in order, no doubt about it. He's got a problem and he needs to address that with his family before he touches a golf club. He needs to be happy within himself when he starts playing again. He owes that to his family. He disappointed a lot of people."

The Woods we see next on a golf course will be humbler and less dynamic. He will go about his business, but he'll be even more guarded and isolated. He will continue to endure snipes from fans, media, apparently even from his own management firm. During a panel discussion about college sports, Barry Frank, IMG's executive vice president for media sports programming, was one of several panelists asked which story would be worth following next year.

"How many girls Tiger was with," said Frank, according to the Associated Press.

Time was when the magic number of the Tiger Woods experience was his number of major titles. Now, it's the number of women he has slept with. If you think he can recover from that jolt to the collective human soul, you don't understand how the world works and thinks in the 21st century.

He has crashed and totaled his career beyond repair. Until we see him again, he is the most tragic example yet of damaged goods.

Norwegians Must Be Asking: Why Obama for Peace Prize?

Norway, it seems, has gotten as good as it gave. After the six Norwegians on theNobel Peace Prize Committee awarded the coveted honor to a man who clearly and self-admittedly did not deserve it, Norwegians themselves have become upset with the man and, by inference, their decision to honor him in this singular fashion.

Two public opinion polls revealed dissatisfaction with Obama's decision to skip the traditional Nobel events, including a "Save the Children" concert in which the only presence of the U.S. president was a cardboard cutout brought in a kind of good-natured rebuke. "Norwegians's Verdict: Obama Is Impolite" blared the headline in one Oslo daily newspaper.

A little bit of background research might have alerted the Nobel Committee to Obama's annoying tendency toward expediency and away from commitment to principle. Instead, the Nobel Committee mimicked America's voters when they rushed to select Obama. Both votes, by the American public and the Nobel Committee, struck me as more appropriately viewed as a rebuke to former President Bush than as a rah-rah for Obama.

The Nobel Committee rushed into bed with Obama. When the alarm bell rang the next morning, six Norwegians found themselves sleeping next to someone quite apart from the person they had viewed through gin-altered glasses the night before. Hence his tepid public support from Norwegians Friday.

The Nobel Committee nominated someone members saw as the Prince of Peace -- the same man whom a majority of American voters were wishfully hoping would pull them out of seemingly unending wars (and right the tanking economy, but that's fodder for another column). Instead, President Obama is sending an additional 30,000 troops to Afghanistan and taking much longer than his anti-war base expected he would to pull American troops out of Iraq. Wish I had been watching through a secret webcam when the six Norwegians cried, "Oops!"

In the case of American voters, Bush's disastrous presidency plucked independents and even a few longtime Republicans out of the GOP camp and sent them scurrying to support a Democrat in '08. Legitimately so. Bush won the Freedom Fries war, but left office with the U.S. military stuck in Iraq and Afghanistan and the U.S. economy mired in recession.

In the case of the Norwegians, Europe's dislike of Bush's infamously unilateral proclivities made him one of the most unpopular American presidents among Europeans as well. It was a badge Bush wore with honor. What goes around comes around.

If only the Nobel Committee and the American voting public had dug a bit deeper before they endorsed Obama, they might not have been so surprised when he morphed into an unexpected type of president. The New York Times reported in February 2008 that Obama had a history of stretching his accomplishments and playing to his audience of the moment. It would have been easy to see what was coming if only voters had paid more attention to his record as a twister of facts and prince of prevarication.

The front-page story detailed Obama's appearance before an Iowa audience in December 2007. He claimed credit for passage of anti-nuclear legislation that in fact did not pass the Senate. Not only that, he had watered down his own anti-nuclear amendment to the point of obliteration. That, only after he befriended and took money from the same nuclear energy executives he at first opposed; $227,000 in campaign contributions would make you cozy up with former political opponents, wouldn't it?

"A close look at the path his legislation took tells a very different story. While he initially fought to advance his bill, even holding up a presidential nomination to try to force a hearing on it, Mr. Obama eventually rewrote it to reflect changes sought by Senate Republicans, Exelon and nuclear regulators. The new bill removed language mandating prompt reporting and simply offered guidance to regulators, whom it charged with addressing the issue of unreported leaks," the Times reported.

No American voter who read this story could possibly have been surprised by his later turnabout on any issue from anti-war, to pro-war, from pro-choice to pro-life appeaser, from anti-lobbyist to employer of lobbyists. It's all right there. It was ignored by voters at their own peril. And now, so it seems, to the peril of the Nobel Laureate Committee, too.

This is not the first time the Nobel Committee has given the Peace Prize to a candidate of expectations. Nor is it the first time it has been awarded someone who used military means to achieve peace: Henry Kissinger's 1973 half-prize (shared with North Vietnam's Le Duc Tho) for the Paris Peace Accords -- even though the Vietnam War didn't end for two more years. And Yasser Arafat shared a prize 15 years ago for a Mideast peace that has not yet arrived.

Every time the prize is given to someone whose later record does not comport with the peaceful efforts the committee seeks to award, it lessens the value and prestige of the award. And every time a president disses his base, more Americans lose faith in the political system. Both are travesties that can and should have been averted.