Once again, a tip of the hat to the Nobel Peace Prize Committee. The same wonderful people who awarded the coveted prize to Yasser Arafat, Le Duc Tho, and other noted warlords, have now recognized the unique contributions of U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan.

Sources close to the Nobel Committee tell me that Annan was in fact a compromise solution, the selectors having deadlocked between Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein.

In the end, Annan prevailed because of his tireless efforts in support of the Durban Conference on racism, in which he demonstrated his great diplomatic skills and his extraordinary understanding of the importance of unstinting hatred of America and Israel in the pursuit of world peace.

All of us join in celebrating the selection, hoping that the war against terrorism will not deprive the committee of a rich supply of suitable candidates in future years.