It was just announced. Only third sitting US President to win. He won for "his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples." http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSTRE5981JK20091009
hmmmmm :bugeye:Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! I think Norway jumped the gun on this one. :bugeye:
I'm really of mixed feelings regarding this.. Obama to me seems like "different colour, same shit", with all his backtracking and his inability to deliver on many of the things he promised, but I suppose after Bush, anyone could win the peace prize.
I think it's good for giving him some moral pressure. I mean, he is the man in super power. Excerpt from a BBC analyst: "The award is certainly unexpected and might be regarded as more of an encouragement for intentions than a reward for achievements. After all, the president has been in office for a little over eight months and he might hope to serve eight years. His ambition for a world free of nuclear weapons is one that is easier to declare than to achieve and a climate control agreement has yet to be reached. Indeed, the citation indicates that it is President Obama's world view that attracted the Nobel committee - that diplomacy should be founded "on the basis of values and attitudes that are shared by the majority of the world's population"." (Paul Reynolds, BBC News, London) news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8298580.stm
Precisely. Personally, I think he's been doing almost everything right internationally, but doing things right for Americans on an international level doesn't, in my book, warrant such a price. My first thought was, "Huh?! Peace prize for what?" Seriously, give the guy a few years and MAYBE then, but there had to be some one, right now, who's more deserving. ~String
Alright, Mr. President. You're on. Now prove it. You know, it took President George W. Bush to get Pat Buchanan and me to start agreeing on things. I'm not exactly sure what that says. I'm not sure what this says, either: But some Arab and Muslim reaction was fiercely critical. "Obama's winning the peace prize shows these prizes are political, not governed by the principles of credibility, values and morals," said an Islamic Jihad leader, Khaled Al-Batsh. (Moskwa) Don't get me wrong; things are rough in Palestine. But you're not going to get anywhere aiming to destroy Israel entirely. So, yeah. As much as some like to think of me as a terrorist sympathizer, I'm a little unsettled to be thinking, "I'll raise a glass to that, Al-Batsh." To say this was unexpected is a bit of an understatement. I mean, when are nominations due? And who the hell nominated him? Is this a rebuke of the Bush administration? Maybe some sort of drunken dare that Obama now needs to live up to the prize? I mean, I like President Obama, but peace isn't exactly his strong suit right now. Seems to me keeping his head above water is. Oh, for heaven's sake. Nuclear disarmament. "The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided that the Nobel Peace Prize for 2009 is to be awarded to President Barack Obama for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples. The Committee has attached special importance to Obama's vision of and work for a world without nuclear weapons. "Obama has as president created a new climate in international politics. Multilateral diplomacy has regained a central position, with emphasis on the role that the United Nations and other international institutions can play. Dialogue and negotiations are preferred as instruments for resolving even the most difficult international conflicts. The vision of a world free from nuclear arms has powerfully stimulated disarmament and arms control negotiations. Thanks to Obama's initiative, the USA is now playing a more constructive role in meeting the great climatic challenges the world is confronting. Democracy and human rights are to be strengthened. "Only very rarely has a person to the same extent as Obama captured the world's attention and given its people hope for a better future. His diplomacy is founded in the concept that those who are to lead the world must do so on the basis of values and attitudes that are shared by the majority of the world's population. "For 108 years, the Norwegian Nobel Committee has sought to stimulate precisely that international policy and those attitudes for which Obama is now the world's leading spokesman. The Committee endorses Obama's appeal that "Now is the time for all of us to take our share of responsibility for a global response to global challenges." (Norwegian Nobel Committee) President Obama talks a good routine most days. I just wish I could see some of it come true. And, really. Nuclear disarmament? So .... Alright, Mr. President. You're on. Now prove it. ____________________ Notes: Moskwa, Wojciech. "Obama wins Nobel Peace Prize". Reuters. October 9, 2009. Reuters.com. October 9, 2009. http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSTRE5981JK20091009 "Text of Nobel Peace Price citation for Obama". Reuters. October 9, 2009. Reuters.com. October 9, 2009. http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSTRE5981RA20091009
He is not w, that is what he has done. I think it is more of an endorsement of Obama's direction and reversal of bush II policy than anything else. The prize is I believe only the third to go to a sitting US president. Carter received the prize after he left office. Perhaps the prize will give Obama more street credibility on the international front.
Quite a few actually. Here are some: http://thebloggercnn.wordpress.com/2009/10/08/nobel-contenders-await-peace-prize-decision/ Note that most of the people who were contenders actually did stuff and not just talk about it. One quote to note from that article: Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! Lets see.. Lets have a comparison, shall we? We'll just look at one candidate.. Gao Zhisheng: vs Obama.. Who apparently won because of his intention for peace.. Hmmmmm...
You guys, the people that decided it are infinitely more competant at judging this sort of thing than we are.
Bells, I don't think you're completely understanding the wider implications of his win. This is what senseless criticism so often misses. What this means is: if Obama won...I can win too. Because I also believe in these things. I wonder if I can self-nominate?
Of course. Because the logical choice is the leader of a country who is still at war in two different countries and has still to close Gitmo. How silly of me...Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! Don't get me wrong, I like Obama. I am glad he won the election. But frankly, how in the hell he could have won the Nobel Peace Prize is quite beyond me.
