The full text of that President Obama-Bush Nobel Peace Prize speech is here.

Some good strong passages here, not least the strong reference to the E-word and its linking to al-Qaida:

I face the world as it is, and cannot stand idle in the face of threats to the American people.

For make no mistake: Evil does exist in the world. A nonviolent movement could not have halted Hitler’s armies. Negotiations cannot convince al-Qaida’s leaders to lay down their arms.

To say that force is sometimes necessary is not a call to cynicism — it is a recognition of history, the imperfections of man and the limits of reason.

See also the R2-words – the praise extended to Ronald Reagan for his engagement which helped end the Cold War. Although it is a trifle disobliging towards his own country to refer to Pope John Paul, Ronald Reagan, Lech Walesa but then merely ‘Nixon’? 

Conservative commentators are quite pleased with both the tone and substance of this speech. Peggy Noonan:

And if you’re going to bow to something, it might as well be reality.

But there’s no pleasing Mark Steyn on President Obama’s speechwriters:

The squealing Obammyboppers of the media seem to have gotten more muted since those inaugural specials hit the newsstands back in late January. His numbers have fallen further faster than those of any other president – because of where he fell from: As Evan Thomas of Newsweek drooled a mere six months ago, Obama was "standing above the country … above the world. He’s sort of God." That’s a long drop…

… Can you believe this line made it into the speech?

"I do not bring with me today a definitive solution to the problems of war."

Well, there’s a surprise. When you consider all the White House eyeballs that approve a presidential speech, it’s truly remarkable that there’s no one to scribble on the first draft: "Scrub this, Fred. It makes POTUS sound like a self-aggrandizing buffoon."

It’s not even merely the content, but the stylistic tics: "I do not bring with me" – as if I, God of Evan Thomas’ Newsweek, am briefly descending to this obscure Scandinavian backwater bearing wisdom from beyond the stars.

Good point.