GOP's Michael Steele tries to make money from Obama's Nobel prize

Score one for creativity...

President Obama wins the Nobel Peace Prize and Republican National Committee chief Michael Steele is trying to make money off of it.

No, he's not going to go all "commando" on the White House and try to wrest it away from the president in hopes of putting it up on Ebay or anything.

Instead, he found it so ridiculous that Obama was awarded the honor that he's using it as a fundraising tool. Steele sent out an email late last night not only lampooning the award but asking "truly patriotic Americans" to ante up to fight the forces of world domination.

"The Democrats and their international leftist allies want America made subservient to the agenda of global redistribution and control," Steele wrote. "And truly patriotic Americans like you and our Republican Party are the only thing standing in their way."

Steele seemed to disagree with the Nobel Peace Prize committee's reasoning for awarding him the honor. The committee said Obama deserved the award because of his "extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples."

Steele, on the other hand, opined that Obama won the award for "awesomeness" -- before trashing the whole affair.

"It's a stunning, if not truly surprising, indication of just how meaningless a once honorable and respected award has become," Steele wrote.

Steele is not alone in his surprise. As we told you earlier today, many people -- supporters and opponents -- don't quite understand it. In fact, it's made some strange bedfellows. Rush Limbaugh and the Taliban, for example, are united in their consternation.

It's not as though the talk show host and the Taliban released a joint statement expressing their thoughts. But Limbaugh noted that they were aligned.

"Folks, do you realize something has happened here that we all agree with the Taliban and Iran about and that is he doesn't deserve the award," he said. "Now that's hilarious, that I'm on the same side of something with the Taliban, and that we all are on the same side as the Taliban."

The Taliban, on the other hand, didn't mention Limbaugh in their remarks -- although that would have made their comments more interesting. Instead, a spokesman (incidentally from an undisclosed location), said Obama's actions in Afghanistan should disqualify him.

"We have seen no change in his strategy for peace. He has done nothing for peace in Afghanistan," a Taliban spokesman told the AFP. "We condemn the award of the Nobel Peace Prize for Obama."

If you'd like to watch Obama's speech yesterday discussing the honor, click here. Or you can watch a more emotional acceptance speech from the Oscars below.

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