Make no mistake, I was flabbergasted this morning when I heard on NPR that President Obama had won the Nobel Peace Prize.

And not in a good way.

Then came this little tidbit: The deadline for submitting nominees was Feb. 1 — 11 days after Obama had assumed the presidency.

What gives here? The Nobel Committee has rewritten the rules by which it hands out this most prestigious award. They’re now awarding the Peace Prize for the potential of the recipients. Obama indeed holds an enormous amount of potential. He well might achieve all that he hopes. But he hasn’t done it yet.

My feeling is this: The scrap heap is piled high with politicians who never fulfilled their potential. President Obama well might be tossed onto that scrap heap when his days in office are over. I hope that doesn’t happen.

But I also know that the prize ought to go to those who actually have accomplished something. And the list of non-winners with an actual record of accomplishment is quite stunning. Three names come to mind immediately:

Mahatma Gandhi, who sought a peaceful declaration of independence in India — and died in the effort; Ronald Reagan, who pressured the Evil Empire into tearing down “this wall” in Berlin, a move that marked the beginning of the end of communism in Europe; Bill Clinton, who has launched his Clinton Global Initiative and teamed up with former President GHW Bush in providing relief for the victims of the southeast Asia tsunami in 2006.

I hope President Obama actually earns the Peace Prize he has just won. But as this is written, he doesn’t deserve it.

A nation of immigrants must look to its makeup as a source of strength, said Alberto Gonzales, former U.S. attorney general — and a son of migrant farmworkers.

Gonzales spoke today to the Rotary Club of Amarillo and hit a home run with at least one grandson of immigrants — me — with his comments on the subject of immigration.

“We are strong because we are a nation of immigrants,” he said. Gonzales did draw a bead on those who are here illegally. “When people fail to follow the law, then that breeds disobedience,” he said.

Then he added, “State and local governments shouldn’t have to pay for the federal government’s failure” to enact a reasonable immigration policy.

He scoffed at the notion promoted by some in Congress that we should round up all 13 million illegal immigrants and deport them. “It is impossible to locate all those people and deport them,” he said, “so why do people keep trying to pass laws that do that?”

Gonzales’ statement about the strength of this nation, though, rang the loudest with me. I’ve grown weary of those who believe that the nation has enough immigrants, that we should slam the door shut on those still seeking entry into the greatest nation on the planet.

My sainted grandparents — all four of them — surely would disapprove of such a thought.

There’s little doubt that Alberto Gonzales’ record as U.S. attorney general is, shall we say, mixed.

Canyon city commissioners have elevated Dale Davis to the post of police chief. It’s a good choice, given Davis’ long history with the city, even pre-dating his nearly three decades as a Canyon police officer.

He was one of five finalists for the job; the city received 31 applications for the chief’s job in total. City officials said Davis — a Canyon native — is the most qualified finalist by far for the job.

I am not impugning the veracity of that view. But don’t Canyon residents deserve to know the names and backgrounds of the rest of the finalists? I would think so.

But so far, all we know for certain is that city commissioners and City Manager Randy Criswell believe strongly in their choice for police chief.

How about sharing the facts that back up your belief in that choice with your constituents?

Former President George W. Bush returned to West Texas this past week to give a speech at a fundraiser for Lubbock Christian University.

Conservative talk show hosts will have a field day with this one.

President and Mrs. Obama flew to Denmark to make the pitch for their city, Chicago, to host the 2016 Olympics. Not only did the City With Broad Shoulders not get the bid today, it didn’t even make it out of the first round.

It’s a crushing personal defeat for the president, the gabbers will say. This means he’s done politically, they’ll crow. Take that, Mr. President, they’ll blather.

Let’s get a grip. This “competition” wasn’t among the heads of state and/or government who made their pitches to the International Olympic Committee. It was about the cities. Chicago’s bid fell short. The world might find out in due course where Chicago came up lacking in the eyes of the Olympic selection committee.

The Olympic bid was a momentary diversion from the real issues of the day. Rio will do a great job when the Olympians gather in 2016.

Now, let’s get back to work — and pay no attention to the blowhards who will try to make an issue out of the president’s Olympic whiff.

I don’t frequent the Chase Tower all that often, so it was a shock to my system this morning when I walked into the lobby from Tyler Street to attend a pre-dawn meeting on the 30th floor.

Amarillo city commissioners are about to welcome in the new fiscal year (on Thursday) with a tax rate that stays essentially the same.

Homeowners — such as me — will be happy that their city tax rate won’t increase this year. But what about the following year, or the year after that?

The city has been rightfully proud of its low tax rate. But the city was thinking of increasing that rate just a little to pay for more police officers and municipal court staff. Three members of the City Commission at first favored such an increase, which would have paid for seemingly politically popular programs. Who in their right mind in the Panhandle opposes more money for the local criminal justice system? Then they backed off. They don’t want to increase taxes during this down economic time. I get that.

But another government entity once held to the same hold-the-line-no-matter-what view of tax policy. Randall County resisted, and resisted and resisted increasing taxes. Then the bill came due about a decade ago to pay for infrastructure improvements required by the growth in the county. County commissioners raised taxes beyond the 8 percent rollback limit. Taxpayers revolted, called for a rollback election — and won. The tax rate receded, reducing the revenue flow, which forced the county to cut services.

Might the city be facing a similar situation if it keeps the lid on its own tax rate?

The city might be able to pay for additional police and court staff if sales revenue picks up sufficiently. Commissioners no doubt are hoping that the economy picks up steam — in a major hurry.

The Amarillo medical community is keeping us all on our toes.

The abrupt and immediate “resignation,” announced today, of Baptist St. Anthony’s head man John Hicks has medical complex observers buzzing. Hicks, the face and voice of BSA since its creation in 1996, had been a major player in Amarillo, becoming a significant presence on a number of boards and commissions; his most notable presence has been as a member of the Amarillo College Board of Regents. Hicks’ future, of course, remains notably unsettled at the moment.

But this is just the latest in a string of big news.

BSA and Northwest Texas Hospital pulled out of the Harrington Regional Medical Center Inc.; a group of former Amarillo Area Foundation presidents have taken HRMCI to task over its selling of land at the medical complex; NWTH has just announced plans to sell its ambulance service.

Overlaying all this is the intense national debate over health care reform and what it means for medical providers and consumers at communities all across the country — and surely includes Amarillo and the rest of the Panhandle.

Hang on tightly. The ride at the medical center is bound to get a little bumpy.