IAEA, ElBaradei Win Nobel Peace Prize

This will certainly tick off BushCo and the rest of the Iraq War supporters:

The U.N. nuclear watchdog and its head, Mohamed ElBaradei, won the 2005 Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for their efforts to limit the spread of atomic weapons. * * *

ElBaradei rose to prominence for highlighting the lack of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq before the U.S.-led invasion in 2003.

Nobel Committee chairman Ole Danbolt Mjoes said that the prize was not meant as a veiled criticism of Washington, which has often been at odds with ElBaradei on Iraq.

"This is not a kick in the legs to any country," he told a news conference.

Of course, Iraq isn't the only country on which ElBaradei and the Bush Regime have disagreed (from last February's Global Policy Forum):

[ElBaradei's] caution on Iran has led some Bush administration officials to suggest he is more interested in blocking U.S. policy than in stopping Iran. The White House wants him to step down when he finishes his second term this summer and has tried to find a candidate willing to challenge him. But a majority of countries on the IAEA board consider ElBaradei's leadership on Iran helpful and want him to take a third term. Despite the tensions with Washington, ElBaradei said professional relations with U.S. officials have been good. "I would hope we would continue to cooperate no matter what," he said. ElBaradei was joined in the interview by top aides from the United States, Britain, Australia and Canada.

Although ElBaradei's assessment on Iran was later confirmed by a group of U.S. government experts and other international scientists, I'm certain that the Bush Administration will nevertheless be angry at the Nobel Committee for giving ElBaradei the Peace Prize.

After all, this guy has challenged Bush twice -- once on Iraq and once on Iran -- and has been right both times. And, as everybody knows, the one thing Bush and Company really hate is to be proven wrong on something. One would think they'd be used to it by now.