Is it any surprise that Steven Spielberg, James Taylor and Barbra Streisand were among 17 people chosen by the Obama administration as recipients for this year's Presidential Medal of Freedom?

"I look forward to presenting these 17 distinguished Americans with our nation’s highest civilian honor," said President Obama in a statement related to the upcoming ceremony, slated for November 24.

"From public servants who helped us meet defining challenges of our time to artists who expanded our imaginations, from leaders who have made our union more perfect to athletes who have inspired millions of fans, these men and women have enriched our lives and helped define our shared experience as Americans."

Crooner James Taylor was likely bestowed the award for his appearance alongside Sec. of State John Kerry in France earlier this year following the Charlie Hebdo massacre. Taylor's cringe-worthy performance of "You've Got a Friend" was perhaps one of the weakest displays of "solidarity" in recorded history.

Spielberg is loyal to the Democratic Party both in dollars and deed, however his artistic talent as an iconic director combined with his work to promote Holocaust awareness is at least a slightly more substantive than the achievements of other recipients.

Barbra Streisand, an outspoken leftist, was hailed on the administration's website for her donations to the Women’s Heart Center at Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute, which "works to correct gender inequality in the research of a disease which each year kills more women than men."

The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the "Nation’s highest civilian honor, presented to individuals who have made especially meritorious contributions to the security or national interests of the United States, to world peace, or to cultural or other significant public or private endeavors."

Of course it comes as no shock that these left-wing standard bearers are to be honored with such a distinction.