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Obama 6(...66)

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Re: Obama 6(...66)

unofan said:
And awarding a Nobel Prize based upon the whims of the voters whims is asinine no matter how much you or Rover try to spin it another way.
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...and John McCain, who appears to "get it":

McCain, on CNN: "I can't divine all their intentions, but I think part of their decision-making was expectations. And I'm sure the president understands that he now has even more to live up to. But as Americans, we're proud when our president receives an award of that prestigious category.

Pawlenty: "I would say regardless of the circumstances, congratulations to President Obama for winning the Nobel Prize. I know there will be some people who are saying 'Was it based on good intentions and thoughts or is it going to be based on good results?' But I think the appropriate response is when anybody wins a Nobel Prize that is a very noteworthy development and designation and I think the appropriate response is to say 'Congratulations."


If only all conservatives thought that way. Sadly, from some of the comments out here, I guess that's too much to ask.
 
Re: Obama 6(...66)

I plan to change the world...I will now accept my Peace Prize.

I ask again...why do this now? they could give it to him next year when perhaps he will do something to further peace in some way. Just not being Bush Jr. isn't good enough because Bush Jr. was going to be gone irregardless of Obama being elected.
 
Re: Obama 6(...66)

Obama winning the Nobel Prize for Peace is weak.

I'd say Ahmedinejad actually had the most accurate & succinct response. :eek:

Something like 'Congratulations Mr. President. May this award give you an incentive to work for a more just global order'

Clearly, the Nobel folks are trying to persuade/shame Obama into being the leftist that they hope he is. But it won't work. Foaming right-wing radio notwithstanding, Obama simply isn't the leftist that his adoring fans around the world hope he is.
 
Re: Obama 6(...66)

unofan said:
Yeah, but my logic is just as sound as yours. Awarding a Nobel Prize based upon the whims of the American electorate is asinine no matter how much you or Rover try to spin it any another way.

Trying to justify it due to a "tonal change" or other touchy-feely malarky is a pretty weak effort.
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Meh, I was offering a potential justification. Personally I think he won it because rhetoric like the Berlin speech is music to the ears of Stockholm. As has been pointed out, these are guys who give the Israelis and the Palestinians peace awards. Once you've done that, what else could the award be about but rhetoric?

Take the trophy (is there a trophy?), say thanks, say some nice Kellogg-Briand thingy that everyone will forget in a week, and move on. Doesn't hurt anybody except a few people who are committed to seeing Obama's name put in the bad guy hall of fame alongside Stalin and Mao.

For God's sake, I'm a Mets and Islanders fan. I'll take any hardware at this point.
 
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Re: Obama 6(...66)

Sorry to try to inject humor into this thread, but this was pretty funny:

"Meanwhile, Mataconis is on a roll on Facebook: “How can Obama win the Nobel Peace Prize on the same day that he’s becoming the first POTUS to bomb the Moon?” "

Found on Instapundit.
 
Re: Obama 6(...66)

Just out of curiousity who won last year, or the year before that? Of all the "Nobels" awarded in a year this has to be among the most worthless of the lot.
 
Re: Obama 6(...66)

5mn_Major said:
Again...of the naysayers...who specifically is better deserving and what are their qualifications?
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I'd suggest the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Maybe Bill Clinton. The Clinton Global Initiative does alot of work, he brought those two nitwits home from North Korea while Hillary toiled in Africa, all without laughing at Kim Jong Il's "special shoes". ;) Then again, he'd probably be more interested in the Nobel Piece Prize ... :p
 
Re: Obama 6(...66)

5mn_Major said:
Again...of the naysayers...who specifically is better deserving and what are their qualifications?
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http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/10/07/ap/world/main5368170.shtml
How about someone fighting against oppression in china?

Denis Mukwege, a physician in the war-torn Democratic Republic of the Congo who opened a clinic to help rape victims

Hu Jia, a human rights activist and an outspoken critic of the Chinese government, who was sentenced last year to a three-and-a-half-year prison term for "inciting subversion of state power"

Wei Jingsheng, who spent 17 years in Chinese prisons for urging reforms of China's communist system

Piedad Cordoba, a senator and leader of Colombians for Peace, an organization whose aim is to facilitate peace negotiations between the government and the country's leftist FARC guerrillas

Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad, a philosophy professor in Jordan who advocates interfaith dialogue in a region shot through with sectarian violence

Sima Samar, Afghan human rights activist; she currently leads the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission and serves as the U.N. special envoy to Darfur

but hey, I guess talk is more important than action ;)
 
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Re: Obama 6(...66)

Who has done more?

If the organization itself hadn't already won, I would say that pretty much every field worker for MSF (Doctors without Borders) has done more to advance the cause of peace.

Bill Clinton.

The Bill and Melinda Gates charitable foundation undoubtedly has done a lot of good in international public health.

All international organizations that advocate for 3rd world debt relief.

There's a history of rewarding previous individuals and organizations for their dedication and accomplishments (Lech Walesa, MSF, Amnesty, Campaign to ban landmines, etc.)

Obama's award is less retrospective and more prospective. That strikes me as a dumb shift. Let him earn it, and then, if he is deserving, confer the award.
 
Re: Obama 6(...66)

Handyman said:
I plan to change the world...I will now accept my Peace Prize.

I ask again...why do this now?
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Obama's press statement said:
But I also know that this prize reflects the kind of world that those men and women, and all Americans, want to build — a world that gives life to the promise of our founding documents. And I know that throughout history, the Nobel Peace Prize has not just been used to honor specific achievement; it’s also been used as a means to give momentum to a set of causes. And that is why I will accept this award as a call to action — a call for all nations to confront the common challenges of the 21st century.
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http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091009/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_obama_nobel_analysis_1 said:
Remember that the Nobel prize has a long history of being awarded more for the committee's aspirations than for others' accomplishments — for Mideast peace or a better South Africa, for instance.

In those cases, the prize is awarded to encourage those who receive it to see the effort through, sometimes at critical moments.
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Emphasis mine in both cases.

You can disagree with the logic and claim it's ridiculous, but apparently the Nobel Peace Prize has a history of this. (As an aside, I did not know this either - I always assumed it was for accomplishment, as it is in the other categories.) Given the history, this isn't as ridiculous as it originally sounded.

In the end, though, this doesn't matter very much. It makes for some humorous press reports and causes people to cry foul and disparage the credibility of the Nobel Peace Prize, and frankly it is a bit silly, but it's not like this is the dumbest moment in the history of the award. Based on the press conference, I think Obama is handling this the right way, and I doubt it will change anything about American or international politics.
 
Re: Obama 6(...66)

Shirtless Guy said:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/10/07/ap/world/main5368170.shtml
How about someone fighting against oppression in china?
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fixed the qualifications:
In his 1895 will, award founder Alfred Nobel stipulated that the peace prize should go "to the person who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between the nations and the abolition or reduction of standing armies and the formation and spreading of peace congresses, or has the popular appeal of a rock star and/or can read prepared speeches with apparent conviction and in a mighty fine voice."
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Re: Obama 6(...66)

Woodrow Wilson very nearly killed himself, helping to create the League of Nations, and then trying to get the Senate to approve the treaty. He was awarded the Peace Prize.

Henry Kissinger and Le Duk Tho (sp) brought about an end to the war in Vietnam and they were awarded the prize.

Barack Hussein Obama is at the beginning of a journey which may result is some significant accomplishment, but hasn't yet.

This decision proves beyond doubt that the Nobel committee is so thoroughly politicized and so adamantly against American assertiveness that it will give a profoundly unearned award to make a point. Shame on them.

Several years ago there was some snickering because Jerry Lewis had been recommended for the award--nobody's laughing now.
 
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