Bush, Blair among Nobel contenders

President George W. Bush and British PM Tony Blair are among nominees for the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize before a Sunday deadline for nominations despite failure to find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.

‘‘Nominations are pouring in,’’ said Geir Lundestad, director of the Norwegian Nobel Institute. Among nominees are Pope John Paul, the Salvation Army, former Czech President Vaclav Havel and Chinese dissidents.

‘‘Bush and Blair definitely still deserve it,’’ said Jan Simonsen, a Right-wing Independent member of Norway’s Parliament. ‘‘Even though they haven’t found those WMDs they got rid of a dictator and made the world safer,’’ he said on Friday. ‘‘They got rid of a madman.’’

Nobel watchers say Bush or Blair’s chances of winning are close to nil. — Reuters