What Barack Obama Has In Common With A Guy Who Liked To Paint Naked Women

Peter Paul Rubens was a world-renowned painter of fleshy nudes — and a diplomat, spy and covert operative. His success as a diplomat was predicated on a combination of the high esteem in which he was held internationally and by his own great intelligence. Whatever one thinks about the timing of the Nobel, or of Obama generally, it’s hard to deny he shares these characteristics.