President Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize Friday morning for what the committee called “extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples,” especially his work to reach out to the Muslim world and to eliminate nuclear weapons around the globe.
The announcement, less than nine months after Obama took office, sparked immediate questions from reporters in Oslo about whether the Nobel committee was acting prematurely in rewarding a world leader who has outlined a lofty and ambitious agenda but has not yet made many concrete steps toward realizing it.
But Thorbjoern Jagland, chairman of the five-member Nobel committee, said “we have not given the prize for what may happen in the future. We are awarding Obama for what he has done in the past year. And we are hoping this may contribute a little bit for what he is trying to do.”
Well, this may be a tad controversial in some quarters.
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LOL, what a joke! The man did NOTHING yet and gets a nobel peace prize… what a farce. They have just devalued this prize to it’s lowest point in history.
Boooo!!!
I’m not saying that Obama shouldn’t be awarded or his efforts not acknowledged. But this just confirms to me that the NPP has gotten too political. The committee should at least wait until Obama is out of office, in case he reverses himself in the next three or seven years. But this “we can’t wait that long” decision by the award committee, seems childish at best. And politically corrupt, at worse.
If you have a look at the list of previous winners, this years choice is less surprising, although at least as ridiculous. It’s embarrassing to see the name of a great scientist like Alfred Nobel being dragged in the dirt by something like this. At least it’s the norwegians that decides this and not the swedes, so I don’t have to feel bad about it
Yup, this and Al Gore has ruined the Peace Prize.
“Unlike the scientific and literary Nobel Prizes, usually issued in retrospect, often two or three decades after the awarded achievement, the Peace Prize has been awarded for more recent or immediate achievements taking the form of summary judgment being issued in the same year as or the year immediately following the political act. Some commentators have suggested that to award a peace prize on the basis of unquantifiable contemporary opinion is unjust or possibly erroneous, especially as many of the judges cannot themselves be said to be impartial observers.”
I guess all one has to do to win the Peace Prize is bend over and kiss ass.
He can put it next to his NRA gun salesman of the year award. 🙂
To me what is even worse is this cheapens all the other Nobel Prizes.
The Peace Prize is the flagship of the Nobel Prizes, and when the Peace Prize becomes a farce, it reflects on all the rest.
Now when someone receives the prize in Science, Poetry, or whatever, it’s just not going to be as prestigious.
You’ve got to be kidding me! He’s done nothing to warrant such an award. What a load of horse crap. He’s had a couple of speeches, that’s ALL he’s done. And there’s nothing easier for a politician to do but talk.
This doesn’t even match Al “Super Serial” Gore’s award. This flat out proves the Nobel prizes mean absolutely nothing!
This announcement made my day. I have never been so happy by the selection, with possible exception of Al Gore.
Terrific!
Regardless of how you feel about the winner this truly cheapens the prize.
What have been his accomplishments since taking office?
Has he kept any of his campaign promises? (I’m asking.)
Stopped the Iran war? no
Afghanistan? no
Ramping up the war in Afghanistan? yes
Tried to pucker up and kiss the world’s ass? yes
Ding! ding! ding! We have a winner for the peace prize.
Apologize to the world for the evil US (that by the way has bailed the world out in two world wars and gives more aid in disasters than any other country, EVER) because he likes to kiss ass.
BHO hmmm hmmm hmmm
Give me a fucking break.
ditto #9
Doesn’t the nominations close on Feb 1st. And Obama was inaugurated on Jan 20th. So he did something extraordinary in those 11 days.
One for my “you can’t make such stuff up” files.
“We are awarding Obama for what he has done in the past”
This is obviously a reward for the great community organizing he did with ACORN.
Once Arafat got it, it meant nothing….this cements that.
It’s pure politics, nothing more.
I’m personally glad they did this. It may be a tad early for it, especially since he was nominated back in February. But, I think he truly has changed world opinion of the U.S. toward an image of a peaceful nation (though a lot more needs to be done to actually make us a peaceful nation). Also, putting us on track toward doing something about climate change is actually a huge step toward peace as climate change has already caused the war in Darfur and will likely to cause further conflict, especially if we were continue down the W path.
#1 – Jopa you ignorant slut!
No matter what you think of Obama, you must admit that the prize has certainly been devalued far more by awarding it to the likes of Yasir Arafat. Please grow a brain before you post.
#2 – Glenn E.,
Of course it’s political!! How could it not be? Peace is an outgrowth of successful politics. War is the result of not being politic.
#3 – Johan,
It’s embarrassing to see the name of a great scientist like Alfred Nobel being dragged in the dirt by something like this.
Um … let’s not canonize the man just yet. Remember, he did invent dynamite.
#4 – Ah_Yea another ignorant slut,
See my point prior point about Arafat.
#9 – Diesel,
Actually, ramping up in Afghanistan was a campaign promise. He is trying with health care and with climate change but is meeting unprecedented resistance from idiots who would rather cut off their own limbs and murder all of their constituency than support a member of the other party, even if it is exactly what their constituency wants. (Admittedly, the democraps who can’t agree on anything just make the effect of the incredibly unified and malicious repugnicans that much worse.)
Oh, and working toward a more diplomatic relationship with other nations was a campaign promise that he is indeed keeping, as evidenced by another nation awarding him the peace prize. Just a minor point for the naysayers, I know.
#14:
“but is meeting unprecedented resistance”
Can we please stop repeating this bullshit? The Democrats CONTROL the entire government.
The problem is that they don’t want to be held responsible for THEIR OWN policies.
What a bunch of idiots – not enough spine to vote against the Iraq war, and not enough to ram their agenda through. Buncha pussies.
This just confirm how worthless this award has become. Especially when you consider he was nominated after only two weeks on the job.
Just to add to my comment about Darfur since someone will likely disagree, this is not just my opinion, but the opinion of the Secretary General of the United Nations.
#15 – brm,
It’s not bullshit. It’s 100% true that the repugnicans are mounting huge campaigns of disinformation to attack the 1974 Nixon health care plan of a public option, despite the polls showing 61% support for such an option. They are literally shooting their own constituents in the feet.
And, yes, I did mention the problem of the democraps if you had bothered to read my whole post. But, since you didn’t, I’ll assume you won’t read this one either.
For the multiple reasons why President Obama deserves this, you go over to SNL and watch last week’s opening monologue.
Bravo! Pulling the most dangerous country in the world away from unilateral insanity is a step.
Those who embrace that sort of dementia will be raving for a month!
#17 – me,
I should have added a link about the poll results.
Anyone who sees the Nobel Peace Prize as anything but a talking head award is kidding themselves.
It was a farce from the beginning.
Cursor_
Thinking about political responses – for that is what most in the US will be – those who will whine the loudest really don’t give a shit about peace, anyway.
Their opinion on the topic is worthless.
ouch… what if Obama starts WW3 before the end of his term… I’m not saying he will, but what if… should the NPP not wait till the end of his term?
Also not saying he didn’t do good things for international relations, just a little too soon!?!?!
Weird.
LOL Misanthropic Scott may be the stupiest person I’ve seen on this site. Congrats on that Misanthropic Scott!
Ok I may be the stupidest person on the site since I can’t spell stupidest 🙂
Possibly there’s heavy metals in the water in Sweden? That must be it.
Frankly I had rather he won it for economics.
”especially his work to reach out to the Muslim world and to eliminate nuclear weapons around the globe.”
Which Muslims? The peace loving Muslims that we have always respected and embraced, or the terroristic “wanna blow something up because we hate americans” Muslins? As far as I can tell, he’s hardly stuck out a hardy handshake and welcome to later.
Wasn’t Rush Limbaugh nominated in the last couple of years?
Liberals applaud intentions not results. He has not accomplished a damn thing on the world stage but he looks good trying.