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Friday, October 9, 2009

Obama wins the Nobel Peace Prize.

Discussion? My read is that many of his own countrymen may be among the last to understand why. Here's an interesting overview from fivethirtyeight.com.

Excerpt:
"Perhaps the happiest people in the US on this one will be the centrists - and those who wanted Obama to reshape the US image abroad. Whether the award is warranted (too soon? too uncertain?) or relevant (peace prize as we're discussing escalation in Afghanistan?), for the leader of the largest and most powerful military force in the world to be awarded a prize for peace and diplomacy is quite an interesting development."

For my part, I'm thinking that it's clear the world understands our President better than most of his fellow Americans do. Obama’s entire career has been dedicated to peace, unity, and a better understanding among the peoples of our planet. Thank goodness for the American youth. They understood Obama’s message and elected him. It would be nice if the rest of us old fogies caught up, but it doesn’t really matter all that much. The world belongs to next generation. Recall that roughly 70% of all Iranians are under the age of 30. So I, for one, am proud of Barack. He’s been earning this award since the day he went into politics. And I suspect he will continue to deserve it. It is, afterall who he is — man of peace, reconciliation, and good will toward men. Even those men who, in my “long-in-the-tooth” opinion, don’t deserve it.

4 comments:

Michael Sanborn said...

The Nobel committee must be drunk. First Al Gore, who accomplished nothing and left a Sasquatch-sized carbon footprint not accomplishing anything and now Obama, who has accomplished nothing other than getting elected.

I can't take the prize seriously. Since when is the Prize awarded to people for their rhetoric? I don't doubt that Obama may someday be worthy of such a prize, but he has yet to accomplish anything.

Donna said...

Of course the socialized countries of Europe love Obama. They feel he will bring America one step closer to their way of thinking.

I'm with Michael- the Nobel has lost the punch it once held. That being said, Obama has yet to accomplish enough to deserve any kind of recognition. Hopefully he will accomplish all that he has set out to accomplish. I truly do wish him well- for all our sakes.

Bill Fleming said...

The criteria for the Peace Prize are different than the criteria for the science awards.

http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/articles/lundestad-review/index.html

Excerpt:
“The prize for peace was to be awarded to the person who “shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding of peace congresses.”

Wayne Gilbert said...

My high school American History teacher told us that Martin Luther King, Jr. did not deserve the Nobel Peace Prize. I'm not suggesting that President Obama's accomplishments approach those of Dr. King, but I am saying that there are always people who for some reason or another didn't make the cut to be on the selection committee who rant and moan about the selections. I think that the current whiners, Rush and his ilk, are the lineal descendants of my high school American History teacher.