Obama's Nobel Peace Prize
Has the president done enough to deserve the prestigious award?
Nobel Peace Prize winner Barack Obama
(Corbis/Brooks Kraft)
What happened
The Nobel Committee on Friday awarded President Obama its annual peace prize "for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples." (The New York Times)
What the commentators said
"This is completely bizarre," said Iain Martin in The Wall Street Journal. "Traditionally it has been standard procedure that winners of the prize do their peacemaking first." With whom has Obama made peace—Hillary Clinton? (watch the Obama Nobel Peace Prize announcement; watch Obama give a statement)
What President Obama has done, said Maria Farrell in Crooked Timber, is make peace possible again. The Bush presidency created a "tidal wave of bad faith" that discouraged international cooperation. Obama has "changed how the world feels about America. He’s lifted the planet’s mood. This guy is global Prozac."
Even the president's fans must admit, said Matt Lewis in Townhall.com, that the Obama Nobel peace prize was, "at least, a bit premature." The award couldn't have been based on accomplishments—Obama has "zero"—but on "lots of 'hope' for the future."
The hope is that Obama will advance "diplomacy rather than confrontation around the globe," said Jacob Heilbrunn in The Huffington Post, and he has already done that. He has improved U.S. relations with Europe and the world; focused on global warming; started talks with Iran ... "it would be hard to think of a more electrifying and deserved recipient of this year's Nobel Peace prize."
This kind of puts the whole Chicago Olympics rejection in perspective, said Rachel Sklar in Mediaite, "eh?" The Nobel Committee said it wasn't rewarding Obama for future achievements but trying to enhance his current diplomatic efforts. "No doubt the cries of 'USA! USA!' will be emanating from Rush Limbaugh’s radio show very soon."
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106 Comments
Posted by Steve, Friday, October 9, 2009, 9:04 am Apparently, it was a busy three weeks.
Posted by ShoeMart, Friday, October 9, 2009, 9:04 am I thought I was in the running for the Peace Prize, also then, I remembered I forgot to attach the sticker to my paid subscription card to the NYT.
Posted by I'm just sayin'..., Friday, October 9, 2009, 9:08 am Well that seals it...the Nobel Peace Prize is now Officially Irrelevant. Apparently all you have to be for the Nobel Committee is talk about stuff. Think Arafat, Al Gore, Jimmy Carter...
Posted by John Gault, Friday, October 9, 2009, 9:18 am This is amazing. What an f ing joke!?! The world really has gone crazy. Carter actually won the thing because he made peace happen and it lasted, hence him being awarded it 24 years after the action. There is absolutely not meaning behind that stupid award anymore. But the Nobel Committee has been noticeably pissing away their awards when they gave Gore et al the Nobel Prize for a freaking movie!
Posted by GivingTheDogAbone, Friday, October 9, 2009, 9:39 am Apparently this was supposed to be a slap in the face to the previous administration ie the Bush administration. I'm not too sure that this was an appropriate way to show contempt for previous administrations.
Posted by Mark, Friday, October 9, 2009, 9:42 am Absolute joke. Or, did the committee maybe think he's at the peak of his administration, and they better give it to him before it's too late?
Posted by Johnny Reb, Friday, October 9, 2009, 9:59 am In related news, Showgirls tops AFI's list of cinema classics, Detroit is named America's best vacation spot, the Pogues' Shane MacGowan is named People magazine's Sexiest Man Alive and Kanye West publcally admits that his shit does, in fact, stink.
Posted by Bob, Friday, October 9, 2009, 10:35 am More Rock Star imageall talk and no results. But I guess that is what it takes in Sweden. The Peace Prize has no real significance beyond one more propaganda method. Sad that Nobel Laureate has lost all meaningful importance. Same now true in literature, as political stance means more than talent and prizes go to the least read but most politically correct authorsit's a poor man's Oprah Selection PR move. Nobel Committee must be Sweden's answer to the embarrassment in US of the US Olympic Committee.
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