is given to people like mother teresa. people who give a lifetime example of action and caring for others, rather than a campaign season's worth of rhetoric

i don't use the example of mother teresa lightly.

she's catholic - i'm a lapsed (secular) jew.

even though mother teresa doesn't have an eternal flame shrine like princess di, i think she'll be remembered longer.

Both will be remembered in various ways. On Mother Teresa, C. Hitchens said right here in Slate,

"we witnessed the elevation and consecration of extreme dogmatism, blinkered faith, and the cult of a mediocre human personality. Many more people are poor and sick because of the life of MT: Even more will be poor and sick if her example is followed. She was a fanatic, a fundamentalist, and a fraud,"

The Nobel Peace Prize is given to people like Mother Teresa.

Not really; the recipients of theNobel Peace Prizes are chosen by a committee of five persons elected by the Norwegian parliament. In this case, President Barack Obama was granted the award "for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples".

Only a dullard would fault Mother Teresa for her works, although some believe that a person who tirelessly spent one's life promoting birth control would be equally deserving of such an honor.