Nobel committee is too political

In 1992, the committee chose Guatemalan activist Rigoberta Menchu for her work in publicizing the plight of indigenous people in her country.

It was later revealed that her famed autobiography contained outright lies, such as her claim that her father was a landless peasant who had founded a left-wing peasants' rights movement.

Menchu had claimed never to have attended school, but turned out to have attended Catholic schools through the eighth grade.

In 2007, the committee gave the prize to former U.S. Vice President Al Gore for his work in promoting global awareness about climate change.

This raised questions about political correctness in the committee, since global warming is not yet considered to be a definite science and even if it was, climate change is not directly associated with issues of world peace.

The list of obvious choices who never received the award is long, starting with India's legendary Mahatma Ghandi, who was nominated four times during his life yet never chosen.

Pope John Paul II, who played a major role in restoring freedom in Eastern Europe, was also passed over.

Former Philippine President Corazon Aquino, whose overthrow of authoritarian rule in the Philippines became an inspiration for democracy movements around the world, was also never chosen by the committee.

Conditions surrounding the choice of Nobel Peace Prize winners are naturally subjective and there is surely no way to ensure that all future choices will avoid controversy.

However, the committee would be wise to change its method of selection and avoid issuing partisan statements when granting the award.

Many observers have suggested following the example of committees choosing laureates for other Nobel prizes by basing the choice on past achievements rather than future potential and star power.

If the committee continues to make highly partisan and political choices, the prestige of the prize will continue to fall and less people will pay attention to the winners and the noble causes they represent.

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