Obama 6(...66)

[Shirtless Guy]

Re: Obama 6(...66)

...and well-placed. That explains it perfectly. This essentially boils down to a dispute over prospective vs. retrospective voting.

I don't really care if they have done it in the past or not...Obama has done nothing to earn this award, I could accept this if he had done something, but the final goal had not been achieved yet and the Nobel people wanted to help his cause by bringing more attention to it...

fixed the qualifications:

You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to geezer again.

 

[ScottM]

Re: Obama 6(...66)

As a colleague of mine pointed out, in most cases the Nobel is given based on actual accomplishments of the group or individual. In this case, it's based on good intentions, and becomes effectively a "Participant" ribbon.

 

[Shirtless Guy]

Re: Obama 6(...66)

Woogdrow 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.

In the end, Obama received this award for simply not being President George W. Bush...

 

[Jon]

Re: Obama 6(...66)

Vote Obama for Heisman!

Sweet.

 

[blockski]

Re: Obama 6(...66)

As a colleague of mine pointed out, in most cases the Nobel is given based on actual accomplishments of the group or individual. In this case, it's based on good intentions, and becomes effectively a "Participant" ribbon.

Define "most cases." Is your friend talking about the peace prize? Because I would disagree with that.

If your friend is speaking of the prizes for literature, physics, medicine, and others, then yes - they are the highest honors given out based on actual accomplishments.

The prizes with a specific subject matter (physics, chemistry, literature, medicine, economics) are vastly different from the catch-all 'peace' prize. The subject matter prizes are awarded to masters of their disciplines.

 

[Rover]

Re: Obama 6(...66)

Nice to see the right wing bawling dying down a bit. Like a spoiled child, I guess a good tantrum and a time out did the trick.

I applaud the McCain's of the world who have the right perspective on this. I applaud Obama's spot on acceptance speech. But I have to laugh at the knuckledraggers. With this attitude do you seriously think you have any prayer of retaking Congress next year or winning the Presidency in 2012? Instead of having an oddball for a VP candidate in a Hail Mary attempt to win the Presidency, the entire party has now adopted her idiocy. What's going to happen when you actually have to campaign on the lunatic fringe platform? Answer: electoral disaster, just like the last two elections, followed by me torturing you guys out here for another few years.

 

[amherstblackbear]

Re: Obama 6(...66)

I don't really care if they have done it in the past or not...Obama has done nothing to earn this award, I could accept this if he had done something, but the final goal had not been achieved yet and the Nobel people wanted to help his cause by bringing more attention to it...

Two things: (1) I agree w/ you that it's better to use the award for past accomplishments, and (2) if the Nobel committee thinks that this will help Obama out, they don't know American politics very well.

 

[ScottM]

Re: Obama 6(...66)

The prizes with a specific subject matter (physics, chemistry, literature, medicine, economics) are vastly different from the catch-all 'peace' prize. The subject matter prizes are awarded to masters of their disciplines.

I can't wait until they give out the Nobel for Spin ...

 

[Old Pio]

Re: Obama 6(...66)

Nice to see the right wing bawling dying down a bit. Like a spoiled child, I guess a good tantrum and a time out did the trick.

I applaud the McCain's of the world who have the right perspective on this. I applaud Obama's spot on acceptance speech. But I have to laugh at the knuckledraggers. With this attitude do you seriously think you have any prayer of retaking Congress next year or winning the Presidency in 2012? Instead of having an oddball for a VP candidate in a Hail Mary attempt to win the Presidency, the entire party has now adopted her idiocy. What's going to happen when you actually have to campaign on the lunatic fringe platform? Answer: electoral disaster, just like the last two elections, followed by me torturing you guys out here for another few years.

An entirely political response to an entirely political decision by the 5 members
of the committee. Neat and tidy. And utterly predictable.

 

[Old Pio]

Re: Obama 6(...66)

In the end, Obama received this award for simply not being President George W. Bush...

Exactly. And it's so obvious and so fraudulent that I believe it may wind up hurting rather than helping the president, which was the obvious intent of the committee.

 

[blockski]

Re: Obama 6(...66)

I can't wait until they give out the Nobel for Spin ...

So, why is it that all the controversy over Nobel prizes stems from the peace prize, and not the physics prize?

It couldn't possibly be that the qualifications for 'peace' are just a little more subjective than the ones for a hard science like physics.

 

[Shirtless Guy]

Re: Obama 6(...66)

An entirely political response to an entirely political decision by the 5 members
of the committee. Neat and tidy. And utterly predictable.

Nice to see the right wing bawling dying down a bit. Like a spoiled child, I guess a good tantrum and a time out did the trick.

I applaud the McCain's of the world who have the right perspective on this. I applaud Obama's spot on acceptance speech. But I have to laugh at the knuckledraggers. With this attitude do you seriously think you have any prayer of retaking Congress next year or winning the Presidency in 2012? Instead of having an oddball for a VP candidate in a Hail Mary attempt to win the Presidency, the entire party has now adopted her idiocy. What's going to happen when you actually have to campaign on the lunatic fringe platform? Answer: electoral disaster, just like the last two elections, followed by me torturing you guys out here for another few years.

I think McCain and Obama did respond properly to this for their own station in life. I do not hold this against Obama because I assume some liberal professor nominated him and the 5 person panel selected him. He had nothing to do with this. My guess is he won because the panel was divided. He won by default because there really wasn't a strong candidate and they USA having a president that hates what the USA represents

 

[Bob Gray]

Re: Obama 6(...66)

Being nominated is pretty meaningless, so no reason to complain that Obama was nominated. After all, people like Hitler, Stalin, and Mussolini all were nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. Lots of folks can nominate someone, and it just takes one of them to put down a name, and they are nominated.

Of course then you have someone like Mahatma Ghandi, who they never deemed worthy of a Nobel Peace Prize. The year he was assassinated, 1948, the Nobel folks didn't even deem anyone worthy of the prize, so it went unawarded.

 

[ScottM]

Re: Obama 6(...66)

So, why is it that all the controversy over Nobel prizes stems from the peace prize, and not the physics prize?

It couldn't possibly be that the qualifications for 'peace' are just a little more subjective than the ones for a hard science like physics.

Probably because Obama has yet to do anything to accomplish peace in his short reign. Unlike Carter who at least managed to bring Sadat and Begin together, or what George Mitchell managed to accomplish in Ireland, Obama's goals and "accomplishments" are no more worthy than Code Pink or Veterans for Peace. If he got some results, oh, like a treaty or agreement, and moved beyond sound bites, I'd have no problems with him. Hell, the Israelis are giving him the finger over new construction right now.

 

[BoomGoestheDynamite]

Re: Obama 6(...66)

Exactly. And it's so obvious and so fraudulent that I believe it may wind up hurting rather than helping the president, which was the obvious intent of the committee.

I wouldn't be surprised if his reaction to getting this in private was, "Ah, S@#$".

Ultimately I imagine this will be forgotten in the next news cycle.

And kudos to Pawelenty and McCain for their responses. The first reaction I saw was a blogger calling this an affirmative action award. Good to see that didn't gather steam.

 

[Terrierbyassociation]

Re: Obama 6(...66)

Well what did Kissinger really do to get his?

 

[Jon]

Re: Obama 6(...66)

Well what did Kissinger really do to get his?

Inspiring Peter Sellers in "Dr. Strangelove"?

 

[blockski]

Re: Obama 6(...66)

Probably because Obama has yet to do anything to accomplish peace in his short reign. Unlike Carter who at least managed to bring Sadat and Begin together, or what George Mitchell managed to accomplish in Ireland, Obama's goals and "accomplishments" are no more worthy than Code Pink or Veterans for Peace. If he got some results, oh, like a treaty or agreement, and moved beyond sound bites, I'd have no problems with him. Hell, the Israelis are giving him the finger over new construction right now.

That's fine - I get that. Hell, I'm sure Obama himself would agree with you.

My point was that this happens fairly often with the Nobel Peace prize. As Bob notes, all you have to do is get nominated. The bar for the discipline prizes is much higher.

 

[5mn_Major]

Re: Obama 6(...66)

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 ...

Good and Shirtless had a few interesting thoughts also. Of the lot, I think I'd put Clinton near the top. At least here's a bit of constructive posting and there are a number of worthy candidates.

Even so IMO I'd still put a change in international problem solving towards extended negotiations more likely to result in peace as worthy of the award. And although there are others who feel the same way...hawks feeling differently don't cause me to lose too much sleep on the matter.

 

[geezer]

Re: Obama 6(...66)

Probably because Obama has yet to do anything to accomplish peace in his short reign.

You're forgetting the beer summit.
Really, who cares, and I'm surprised this lasted through 10 pages, and it's Friday of opening day, and the pep band is warming up outside my window right now.