Obama Awarded Nobel Peace Prize

[mr_pikachu]

I'm surprised that no one else has posted this (http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/2009/press.html) yet.


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."

Those of you who have paid attention to my political stance in past debates already know my opinion on this. For the time being, though, let me just open it up for discussion. What do you think about Barack Obama winning the Nobel Peace Prize?

[Drago]

Brian you sadistic son of a gun; unleashing the potential for another political argument? How could you do this to me??

Anyhow, my very simplistic opinion, is that it's too soon. Certainly Obama's going to lengths to make changes, but his presidency is still in its infancy, and there's still a whole lot left to go.

[Houndoom_Lover]

"For what?" Was my agast statement of the matter. He hasn't done anything solid to earn a Peace Prize, and until he has earned it, he shouldn't get one.

They're not like door prizes, but they'll start being treated like them if we just hand 'em out willy nilly.

[Roy Karrde]

You know in all the discussions I have heard of it, I have heard no one put up a valid excuse as to what he did in 12 days he was in office to deserve it. Because after those 12 days the nominations for the award were closed.

Anyway it seems to be done for political reasons, of all else to influence his very important upcoming decisions on Afghanistan and Iran.

[Drago]

Anyway it seems to be done for political reasons, of all else to influence his very important upcoming decisions on Afghanistan and Iran.
The concept that the Nobel Peace Prize can be handed out merely as collateral to gain political power? Scary.

[mr_pikachu]

Obama himself has termed the Nobel Peace Prize as a "call to action (http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/europe/10/09/nobel.peace.prize/index.html)" rather than an award for past success. I suppose it's to his credit that he appears somewhat surprised by it, but it certainly shows how far the Nobel jury has fallen. Quite sad, really.

[Heald]

I have to agree, this does somewhat diminish the status of the Nobel Peace Prize. Obama has talked big about peace, but that is all he has done really. We're only a few months away from it being officially the first year of his presidency (hmm, can't believe it was last year we were all throttling each other over who would win the 2008 election...) and he hasn't really done anything tangible.

Even in the UK, where people seem to love Obama, there is confusion since he has really done practically nothing in terms of actually achieving peace.

At least he had the decency to come out and say he wasn't accepting the award for things that he has done, but as a motive to keep doing the things he intends to do in order to truly deserve the prize. Hopefully he'll live up to his promises.

[Houndoom_Lover]

It always makes me chuckle to think the first person who won the prize created dynomite, but at least he DID something. I don't the think the prize of all prizes should be given away so one man can have an IOU to the world.

[shazza]

People really have huge expectations for what he can accomplish, don't they? If Obama did bring more peace to the world after his two terms - because let's face it, he'll need at least two terms to do something that significant - then I think it would be extraordinary rewarding him just before he steps down as President. But to reward him now is premature. If Obama fails in these efforts in the long run, the Norwegian Nobel Committee are going to look stupid and the Nobel Peace Prize will diminish in value.

It's like the Norwegian Nobel Committee are chanting to Obama: "Come on Obama, you can do it! If you can't do it, no-one...... will." And as for Obama, I bet when he's alone in the bathroom or bedroom, away from not only the spotlight, but his family, he is staring in front of the mirror panicking: "Holy fucking shit, dawg! They gave me the Peace Prize! Now the expectation for me to do something that will change the world for the better in an enormous magnitude is even greater! So much hype, man. What have I gotten myself into!?!?" *

* I like Obama. :)

[Master Rudy]

You know in all the discussions I have heard of it, I have heard no one put up a valid excuse as to what he did in 12 days he was in office to deserve it. Because after those 12 days the nominations for the award were closed.

Anyway it seems to be done for political reasons, of all else to influence his very important upcoming decisions on Afghanistan and Iran.

I know how loved Roy is by the clueless/blind left wing liberals on TPM. However like him or hate him I think nearly everyone here will agree with his take on the matter. There wasn't jack shit Obama could have done in those 12 days to deserve the award. Now granted I will admit it was just the nomination part and that I don't know when the actual voting was. It's possible they could have tossed his name in the running but it still bears the same question in the end: exactly what in the blue fuck has this asswipe done in 9 months to deserve it? Don't forget that the US is currently in a state of war in two Middle Eastern countries. Granted he's scaling back the number of troops in one of them. However at the same time he's sent more to another. Those of you who know me know my views on war being something that is sadly needed at times. Bear in mind however that war is about as far from peace as you can get. Personally I think it's foolish to not see this as a political gesture.


Hopefully he'll live up to his promises.

That's the problem Heald. Here in the States the people that aren't diehard dems/libs or still blinded by the mindset of "Black President! YAY!" are starting to see him for what he really is. Obama is a politician of the worst kind: a celebritiy more concerned with his public image than the importance of the office he holds or the needs of the country. If something is going to make him look bad in his mind then he's not going to touch it with a 100 foot pole. If he sees his actions (or lack of them) are unpopular then he'll quickly flip his stance. Finally when called on things he quickly counters with the typical "It was misunderstood" or "That's not my intent."

Take the Chicago Olympic bid as an example. A good number of people on both sides of the political spectrum figured "Well if he's going over there it must be in the bag." It was actually pretty shocking to see Chicago as one of the first cities knocked out. While I enjoyed seeing him made into a fool for going on the flipside of things it was something that could really piss you off. Here's a guy who said that he didn't have time to talk to/was blowing off his top general in the Middle East and yet he had plenty of time to go to fucking Denmark to be a cheerleader? Needless to say the first thing he did after this fiasco was get in touch with that general to try and save face. And for those of you that love wasteful govenment spending here's a kicker for you. For that paticular round trip when you consider the fuel and salary costs it took $1.4 million for AF1 to go there. It gets even better however. His harpy wife was insisting on going early so she took the backup plane to go ahead. That means a second set of Air Force personal, flight staff, Secret Service detail, ect. That's nearly $3 million in the toilet right there. Then there's the political ramifications and true motivation for the trip. I've been watching this moron for 9 months. If there's anything I've learned about him it's the fact that he wouldn't do it if it didn't help him or his inner circle in some way. The real question to me was "What's his hidden motive for going?" Sure enough it eventually came out that the area where the Olympic Village/Stadium would have been built was a slum. The buildings are not properly maintained and the people living there would have been displaced and forced out. Be honest with me......would it really surprise you guys to learn that the person that owns some of the land there was one of his good friends?

The bottom line in regards to Obama is to learn what his true motivation is. It's not always easy to find the truth in the middle of the lies but it's possible. It's just a matter of taking the time to look. Laugh all you want at what I'm about to say but know this: The people that get singled out the most by either the Obama Administraition or the left wing are those who pose the biggest threat to them and their plans. Seriously think about it. If Sarah Palin is such and idiot and so clueless then why did so many people even after the election focus on making her in paticular look bad? If people such as Glenn Beck are so crazy/wrong then why are his critics so quick to denounce the things he says?

Seriously.....think about it :yes:


People really have huge expectations for what he can accomplish, don't they? If Obama did bring more peace to the world after his two terms - because let's face it, he'll need at least two terms to do something that significant - then I think it would be extraordinary rewarding him just before he steps down as President. But to reward him now is premature. If Obama fails in these efforts in the long run, the Norwegian Nobel Committee are going to look stupid and the Nobel Peace Prize will diminish in value.

I got so caught up in wanting to post what was on my mind that I missed this post at first. Let's forget about the NPP for a moment Shazza. Regardless of your views and mine we both agree he shouldn't have it now so that shouldn't be a factor here.

What really caught my eye was the "two terms" comment you made. Your falling into the very trap that some people felt Obama would pull at the end of the first term. Prior to the election some people (myself included) felt he would get into the White House riding on anti-Republican feelings and make claims and promises that were frankly foolish to make. Then as re-election time started to roll around good old Obama would come to us and say "Well guys.....to be honest Bush left more of a mess than I thought coming into the job. There's no way this is going to get cleaned up in one term. I'm sorry for my shortcomings as the Commander in Chief. We'll need at least four more years to really get things on the right track."

First off it's foolish for a politician running in ANY office to make claims and promises thinking you'll need more than one term to pull it off. Not only is it dumb but it's downright arrogant. When a smart politician runs for office they don't make too many promises. They do what they can to keep their promises and work to EARN another term. It's the broken promises that cost you your re-election.

Sure as shit during his victory speech Obama was very, very quick to turn around and say something along the lines of "Everything may not get done this term." Knowing him he was likely hoping the general public was too blind and caught up in "It's a black Prez!" mode to think about that comment. The fact that he seems to think he's a shoo in for a second term reeks of ignorance and elitism. Sorry Mr. President.....you didn't have my vote the first time and you sure as hell aren't earning it the next time.

Bottom line? This jackass at the rate he's going and setting up his priorities is gonna need THREE terms.....and I hope no one is foolish enough to point out how dumb that three terms comment is.....hopefully your getting the point :rolleyes:

[Heald]

Rudy, to be fair, after you paraded a picture of Obama's face pasted on Hitler's body (wrong and offensive on so many levels I don't even know where to start) in your sig, I don't think you get to whine about "clueless left-wing liberals".

Also, Glenn Beck is a jerk-off and almost every opinion he has ever had has been wrong and morally repugnant. The reason why people need to counter his arguments (and by arguments I mean elitist tripe) is because, like him or hate him, he has a very large audience of, if I may turn a phrase, clueless, blind right-wing morons, who simply take his word as gospel because they don't know any better. I can't imagine the collective IQ of his target audience to reach into the triple digits.

Also, I'm going to merge your double-post.

[RedStarWarrior]

To put it simply, he hasn't earned it yet.

[Master Rudy]

Rudy, to be fair, after you paraded a picture of Obama's face pasted on Hitler's body (wrong and offensive on so many levels I don't even know where to start) in your sig, I don't think you get to whine about "clueless left-wing liberals".

Also, Glenn Beck is a jerk-off and almost every opinion he has ever had has been wrong and morally repugnant. The reason why people need to counter his arguments (and by arguments I mean elitist tripe) is because, like him or hate him, he has a very large audience of, if I may turn a phrase, clueless, blind right-wing morons, who simply take his word as gospel because they don't know any better. I can't imagine the collective IQ of his target audience to reach into the triple digits.

Also, I'm going to merge your double-post.

First off thanks for merging them. I haven't been feeling 100% tonight and in my repeated rushes to the bathroom I simply got lazy on the matter. Now onto the real subject.....

Granted I will admit that the whole Nazi Obama pic was very tasteless. As a result the point I was trying to make with it was lost. Hitler was a leader that was blindly followed by his people. Obama for the most part has been blindly followed and not questioned. It could be because of the race issue, it could be because he manages to come across as likeable. Whatever the case may be the bottom line is that almost no one is calling him on his questionable actions or his hidden agenda. Those that do (such as Beck, Rush, ect) are very quickly shot down. And from my point of view it's not a matter of "blind right wing morons" as you put it. It's a matter of people blindly following the leader. I used Beck as an example since like him or not his name is well known. I've seen/heard debates where people like him have rendered Obama's blind supporters speechless. In fact just the other day in regards to our heath care debate an Obama supporter called into a show to argue with the host and tell him how wrong he was. What was the reply from the host?

"Have you even read or seen the proposed bill?"

The supporter admitted he didn't to which he was then asked how he could support something when he didn't even know what was really in it? Cue about two minutes worth of dodging said question before finally throwing a hissy fit on air and hanging up on the host.

I do admit that you will have idiots on both sides that will play "follow the leader" without looking at facts. Before anyone assumes anything I am not one of them. If McCain was in Obama's place doing the exact same things that he's currently doing then I'd be calling him on it as well. Just because I lean far to the right that doesn't mean I won't question my own party when I think they do something questionable.

EDIT-And if you really hated my Nazi Obama picture then let me give you guys fair warning. With enough time to search the net I'm sure I can do much better worse than that. Don't tempt me guys. I'm sure I'll eventually find a photoshoped picture of the Book Depository in Dallas with a nice big banner on it that reads "Dallas Welcomes President Kennedy Obama! :P

[Crystal Mew]

I don't think he should have won it in the hopes of he'll do something great, he should have won it for actually doing something.

oh those silly norwegians

[Bear]

I think my mom should win the Nobel Peas Prize for best recipe ever

[Heald]

To be honest, I thought it was very silly to try and compare Obama to Hitler because:

1) You can't exactly compare anyone to Hitler. I wouldn't try to compare Bush to Hitler, no matter how much I hated him.

2) Hitler did consider blacks inferior and racial discrimination was widespread through Nazi Germany, with many send to concentration camps.

I'm aware that people out there will compare him to Hitler, or will otherwise make grotesque comparisons, but the point is I thought people on this board were smarter than that and would not lower themselves to such imbecilic levels. You can't really justify comparing anyone to Hitler.

I also wouldn't rely on the likes of Beck, Rush or O'Reilly in order to get any sort of reliable assessment or criticism on Obama. All of them, and their ilk, are liars, truth-distorters, racists and are not reporters or journalists, they're entertainers, if you could call the sick filth they spew every week entertainment (although the idiots who debase themselves by religiously following them seem to lap it up with smiles on their faces).

The fact that these people, millionaires all of them, are working their very hardest in order to ensure that Obama's objective to make decent healthcare accessible and affordable to the poorest and most vulnerable members of society is just incredibly sick. This isn't even a left-wing, right-wing thing, there is either having a degree of altruism, and then there is enjoying watching sick people die or being bankrupted by their necessary treatments so you can spout your nonsense to the nation from your pedestal.

[Bear]

Ladies ladies come on now, please don't hijack this thread and turn it into a political debate over Liberals vs Conservatives. The purpose of this topic is to discuss Obama being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, not bash each other's e-faces.

[Heald]

Bear's right. Any further off-topic posts will be dealt with appropriately.

[Rossymore]

So he's getting the Peace Prize. Last I saw of him, he was bowling somewhere. I don't really mind him but I think that there are some really patriotic people in this world. Plus, the line 'I have a dream' is turning into a cliche. :/

I can only say, why does he need it anyway? Why is he getting it?

[RedStarWarrior]

So he's getting the Peace Prize. Last I saw of him, he was bowling somewhere. I don't really mind him but I think that there are some really patriotic people in this world. Plus, the line 'I have a dream' is turning into a cliche. :/

I can only say, why does he need it anyway? Why is he getting it?
He doesn't need it and shouldn't be getting it.

The Nobel Peace Prize has diminished in value over time. Now, it seems like they are just giving it to whoever tickles their fancy rather than giving it to people who have done things to contribute to world peace.

You don't pay your server a tip until after your meal, don't you?

[Master Rudy]

To be honest, I thought it was very silly to try and compare Obama to Hitler because:

1) You can't exactly compare anyone to Hitler. I wouldn't try to compare Bush to Hitler, no matter how much I hated him.

2) Hitler did consider blacks inferior and racial discrimination was widespread through Nazi Germany, with many send to concentration camps.

I'm aware that people out there will compare him to Hitler, or will otherwise make grotesque comparisons, but the point is I thought people on this board were smarter than that and would not lower themselves to such imbecilic levels. You can't really justify comparing anyone to Hitler.

I also wouldn't rely on the likes of Beck, Rush or O'Reilly in order to get any sort of reliable assessment or criticism on Obama. All of them, and their ilk, are liars, truth-distorters, racists and are not reporters or journalists, they're entertainers, if you could call the sick filth they spew every week entertainment (although the idiots who debase themselves by religiously following them seem to lap it up with smiles on their faces).

The fact that these people, millionaires all of them, are working their very hardest in order to ensure that Obama's objective to make decent healthcare accessible and affordable to the poorest and most vulnerable members of society is just incredibly sick. This isn't even a left-wing, right-wing thing, there is either having a degree of altruism, and then there is enjoying watching sick people die or being bankrupted by their necessary treatments so you can spout your nonsense to the nation from your pedestal.

The fact that I've even got to explain the pic again goes to show that some people who see it are completely missing the point. Obviously you can't compare the morals of 99.9% of the world population to Adolf Hitler. In fact the only person in my mind who I honestly think could come close to being compared to Hitler is Saddam. While he was obviously nowhere near his body count the fact that his whole regime was modeled after the Third Reich is enough to creep out you. The point of that picture is the statement it makes in regards to political values. Obama hasn't commited genocide obviously. However some of his motives are being blindly followed without question. That's the point of the picture.

And in regards to health care it's going to hurt things as opposed to help them. There's a good reason why people from countries with free health care come to the US. The care may be free but it's not exactly top notch. Even when they are willing and able to pay in their home country the care just flat out seems to be lacking for one reason or another. Putting the conservative media aside just take a step back for a moment and think. People in this country have said that they don't even WANT the free health care. Hell there was a recent poll where 45% of the doctors polled said that they would quit if Obama's plan passed (http://www.investors.com/NewsAndAnalysis/Article.aspx?id=506199). The things in this plan are going to make things worse instead of better. Yet Obama and company are insisting that it gets passed. Doesn't that seem a little shady to you? What exactly is in it for him if this thing passes? On another note remember the big White House photo op a few weeks back with all the doctors? Little known secret about that. Those "doctors" were actually the reporters from the Washington Post, the Times, ect that are at every single White House press meeting. (http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/white_house_botched_op_kTVWHZ3vEeRQbxCC0TNZHN) Prior to Obama's speech they had White House staffers hand out the lab coats in an attempt to many it look like a whole shitload of doctors were in support of the plan when all it really was were the typical guys who have been at nearly each and every press meeting since Obama took office. The only real doctors at the event were the four standing near the Prez as he gave his speech. And it should come as no shock that three out of four of them were among the biggest campaign donators from the medical community that supported him in his run for the White House.

That's right folks.......your big hero has to resort to deception to make it look like he's got a ton of docs supporting his amazing health care plan. And please don't get me started on the news today that he's going to need quote "a few weeks" to decided to send more reinforcements to the Middle East.

The bottom line is this guy does not deserve the award. He is deceptive and indecisive when it comes to the truely important matters. I think when it's all said and done that Obama is easily going to be looked at as one of the worst Presidents in the history of the United States. Of course don't take my word for it. Just sit back and watch as things slowly get worse. If he fails a re-election bid or flat out decides not to run again then I think that'll be all I'll need to show what a shitty job he did. However by that time it'll be too late. At that point the Republicans will either begin clean up and damage control or a successor will fuck it all up more. And God help us all if Hillary gets in next.....

Just be thankful if you're not living in the US.

EDIT-Supplied links to the whole health care debate and "photo op." I do admit that the NY Post is claiming that they were actual doctors but lets be real here. I could have just as easily been sitting in the damn crowd and handed a white coat. Obviously I'm not a doctor :P

Note: I've restored this post because the reason for deletion was that it was off-topic, but it does have on-topic content.

[Telume]

I personally can say he doesn't deserve it, he hasn't done jack. And tbh I voted for him (I'm not affiliated to any party btw.) and am regretting quite a bit doing so. I should've done what my dad did and left the presidential vote blank.

He could be planning something big but right now the chances of that look bleak. I give him another year (which is basically half-way through his presidency) if he hasn't done anything in the next year then he's never going to accomplish anything.

Granted, I'll give him 2 things. AT LEAST he hasn't made the downturn any worse and AT LEAST he's TRYING to reform the health system.

[Crystal Tears]

"Hey, guess what."
"What?"
"Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize."
"Thats nice-..." *looks at father* "Wait, what has he done?"
".. I have no idea."
"Doesn't that defeat the idea of the prize in the first place?"
~ Conversation with my father when he informed me of the President's new award.

The general reaction from Canada was confusion as far as I can tell from my neighbours and friends. Maybe theres some top secret thing he has done to improve... Something drastically >_>; But I doubt this.

I think it's too early, like the rest of you from what I've read. They should've waited until he did something worth awarding... >_>;

[Magmar]

Hey all, I'm totally for intelligent discourse, but just from a purely aesthetic standpoint, be wary of posting big blocks of text in a discussion-based thread. It makes it very difficult to read, or want to read. Brevity and white space are good things :)

Anyways, I say, what if Obama doesn't do jack shit now? We'll all feel like tools for giving him the prize!

But what if he does AMAZING things? We'll feel like tools for giving it to him before his achievements, rather than honoring his achievements after the fact.

No one else gets the peace prize for talking a big game.

[Houndoom_Lover]

If he f's up somehow, it can always be taked away from him :o Like Dumbledore when the wizarding world hated him

[Heald]

Yeah I guess that's about as an apt an analogy as you'll get.

[mr_pikachu]

Hey all, I'm totally for intelligent discourse, but just from a purely aesthetic standpoint, be wary of posting big blocks of text in a discussion-based thread. It makes it very difficult to read, or want to read. Brevity and white space are good things :)

Anyways, I say, what if Obama doesn't do jack shit now? We'll all feel like tools for giving him the prize!

But what if he does AMAZING things? We'll feel like tools for giving it to him before his achievements, rather than honoring his achievements after the fact.

No one else gets the peace prize for talking a big game.

I agree with everything you said except the "we" part. I don't feel like a tool for giving him the prize. I feel like an idiot for ever believing that the Nobel Prize had a degree of merit. (I suppose it once did, like back in the age of MLK, but not during my lifetime.)


EDIT: Looking at the list of Nobel Peace Prize laureates (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Nobel_Peace_Prize_laureates) on Wikipedia is quite illuminating. Check out some of the early ones...


1901 Jean Henry Dunant ~ Switzerland ~ "[for] his role in founding the International Committee of the Red Cross"

1902 Élie Ducommun ~ Switzerland ~ "Honorary Secretary, Permanent International Peace Bureau"

1907 Ernesto Teodoro Moneta ~ Italy ~ "President, Lombard League of Peace," was "prominent as a worker for peace in Italy."

1917 International Committee of the Red Cross ~ Switzerland

1919 Woodrow Wilson ~ United States ~ "President of United States of America; Founder of the League of Nations"

1925 Austen Chamberlain ~ United Kingdom ~ "Foreign Secretary; Part-originator of Locarno Pact"

1934 Arthur Henderson ~ United Kingdom ~ "Former Foreign Secretary; President, Disarmament Conference in 1932"

1935 Carl von Ossietzky ~ Germany ~ "Journalist (die Weltbühne); Pacifist"

1954 United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees ~ Switzerland ~ "An international relief organization founded by the U.N. in 1951"

1964 Martin Luther King, Jr. ~ United States ~ "campaigner for civil rights"

See how simple those descriptions on the right are? Concise, direct, and to the point. Now let's look at some more recent winners:



1982 Alva Myrdal/Alfonso García Robles ~ Sweden/Mexico ~ "[for] their magnificent work in the disarmament negotiations of the United Nations, where they have both played crucial roles and won international recognition"

1985 International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War ~ United States ~ For "authoritative information and by creating an awareness of the catastrophic consequences of atomic warfare. The committee believes that this in turn contributes to an increase in the pressure of public opposition to the proliferation of atomic weapons and to a redefining of priorities, with greater attention being paid to health and other humanitarian issues."

1990 Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev ~ Soviet Union ~ President of the Soviet Union, "for his leading role in the peace process which today characterizes important parts of the international community"

1994 Yasser Arafat/Yitzhak Rabin/Shimon Peres ~ Palestine/Israel ~ "to honour a political act which called for great courage on both sides, and which has opened up opportunities for a new development towards fraternity in the Middle East."

1995 Joseph Rotblat/Pugwash Conf. Sci. and World ~ UK/Canada ~ "for their efforts to diminish the part played by nuclear arms in international politics and, in the longer run, to eliminate such arms"

2002 Jimmy Carter ~ United States ~ "for his decades of untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development"

2009 Barack Obama ~ United States ~ "for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples."

It doesn't take a Ph.D. in English to see all the lofty adjectives thrown into our second list. Why weren't they in the first set of laureates? Because when your accomplishments are actually meaningful, they speak for themselves.

[Master Rudy]

If he f's up somehow, it can always be taked away from him :o Like Dumbledore when the wizarding world hated him

Can the NPP be taken away once it's been awarded? I don't think I've ever heard of such a thing ever happening before.

As for Mr. P's list I think that sums things up. Granted some of the people on the 2nd list aren't so bad. However when you read some of those descriptions you get the sense that they had to grasp for straws on some of those people.

[Telume]

Yasser Arafat made sense, he was a good political figure, I'm surprised Bhutto didn't win it either she probably deserved it more than he did since she was fighting a much tougher war.

[Blademaster]

Gandhi never won a Nobel Peace Prize?

[Heald]

Apparently they were going to give him one the year he died, and they wrestled with the idea of posthumously awarding it to him, but decided against it.

[RedStarWarrior]

Apparently they were going to give him one the year he died, and they wrestled with the idea of posthumously awarding it to him, but decided against it.
...because they are idiots.

[Magmar]

If he f's up somehow, it can always be taked away from him :o Like Dumbledore when the wizarding world hated him

We could infiltrate the white house and steal it back, then give it to someone who deserves it, like Lady Vulpix! Seriously, I think she's done more for TPM, than Obama has done for this country. Seriously.:v

[Telume]

^ Sad thing is, it's true.

[Shadow]

I don't know much about this kind of thing, so my opinion wouldn't be very justified, but I just wanted to post someone else's opinion (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHhi-PoeUs8)

[Blademaster]

I disapprove of all the Obama bashing, but fuck me was that funny.

[mr_pikachu]

In just a few days, Obama will be honored at a reception (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091205/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_obama_nobel) in Oslo, Norway for receiving the Nobel Peace Prize. The backdrop for this award, given to a president who has not yet been in office for a year, is a double-digit U.S. unemployment rate and a tripling of troops in Afghanistan.

As we quickly approach the reception date, now that we all have a bit more perspective, what are your thoughts?

[Drusilla]

This is the first I've heard of it... Wow, I've been out of touch with the world. I've been without PBS for too long. T_T

Anyway... while I <3 Obama.... seriously, folks? I agree with the analogy of tipping a waiter before a meal. It just doesn't make sense. While I have every faith in Obama to one day be worthy of this award, now just isn't the time.

WTF, Norwegians? O_o

[GreenShirT]

You must only need to collect tokens to get one of these nowerdays. Seems everyone is getting them :/

[Telume]

I still don't think he deserves it. He hasn't done anything.

[Blademaster]

Forgot why I posted here.

Found the LBP video linked above my last post.

Watched it again.

Lol'd heartily again.

Thanks, Obama! :wave: