Pres. Obama wins Nobel Peace Prize

[bear sin rug]

All of a sudden, a bunch of people who know very little about the awarding of the Nobel Prize are more knowledgeable than the Nobel prize committee! I guarantee you that 99% of you (and probably 100%) didn't go to sleep Thursday night, tossing and turning about who was going to be announced as the recipient of the Nobel Peace prize, you just heard the news and responded; and now everyone is up in arms about a decision that they didn't give 2 shits about on Wednesday!  ;D ;)

Get over it, jeeeez  ::)

[Nikkogino]

All of a sudden, a bunch of people who know very little about the awarding of the Nobel Prize are more knowledgeable than the Nobel prize committee! I guarantee you that 99% of you (and probably 100%) didn't go to sleep Thursday night, tossing and turning about who was going to be announced as the recipient of the Nobel Peace prize, you just heard the news and responded; and now everyone is up in arms about a decision that they didn't give 2 shits about on Wednesday!  ;D ;)

Get over it, jeeeez  ::)

::)

[NoVa_NoLa]

On 27 November 1895, Alfred Nobel signed his last will and testament, giving the largest share of his fortune to a series of prizes, the Nobel Prizes. As described in Nobel's will, one part was dedicated 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 and promotion of peace congresses".

Can't we be happy that an American won the NPP?  Are we so Obama-sensitive (negatively and positively) that every thing that he does or is done to him is turned in to a mega-event?

My $.02 is that he has put himself out there to try to advance peace.   As Pres of the USA, he plays a pretty big role in working toward world peace.  Our recent past put Us (as a country) at odds with a fairly significant portion of the world on a variety of topics.  To me, this award is an acknowledgment of Our stated change in attitude/direction and serves as motivation for Us to stay the course.

Racially speaking, I don't think I get it.  If race were a major factor, I'd think that the award would have gone to the American people for over-coming the despicable legacy of racism and electing Obama.

Just my $.02.  

[aMillionDreams]

I think they gave him this based on his speeches, not his actions.  And that's what gets on my nerves about Obama, he's a lot of talk but so far he's done nothing (other than closing down an illegal prison).  

We are still fighting two wars and there's a chance we'll soon be sending more troops into Afganistan. Seems to me the leader of a country who's not fighting a war or two would be a better candidate. But maybe I'm just ignorant to how they choose the Nobel PEACE Prize and I should just shut up, go with the flow, congratulate Obama for being a great speaker, and live with the fact that he can't get anything done as President.  ::)

I think this debate is healthy and important because it's almost been a year for Obama as President and it's time to reflect so we can know how best to move forward. How much has really changed? At what point will he actually live up to the man he claims to be in his speeches? Maybe this will light a fire under his ass to actually do the things he talks about, but I'm losing HOPE.

This argument is coming from someone who voted for Obama, agrees with most of his policies, and is pissed because nothing is changing.

[Sassbox]

Being the first black PRESIDENT isn't an achievement in your book?
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It's an achievement, alright...but has nothing to do with why he was bestowed with the honor and for you to suggest so is a little out there.  

Have you actually read the citation or any of the reasons enumerated by the committee?

I didn't suggest it.....bear sin rug did.  I certainly think what Obama did was freaking amazing.  But I don't (like bear sin rug above) think that warrants a Nobel Peace Prize.

I realize it was bear sin rug who said that.  The committee has given the reasons for the award, so for people to continue speculating about why it was given to President Obama is kind of pointless, no?  Now, the subject of whether it was deserved or not is another matter...

[bear sin rug]

If any of you think a WHITE American president gets the Nobel for doing the exact thing Obama has, then you are obviously not paying attention. This is clearly about race.

[Sassbox]

How about a yellow president?  

There.  My question is almost as preposterous as your pie-in-the-sky assertion.

[Taterbug]

Obama won because he's not Bush. And the prize was a  gift to the American people for taking out the trash in the last election.

[bear sin rug]

How about a yellow president?  

There.  My question is almost as preposterous as your pie-in-the-sky assertion.

sass, with all due respect, if Joe Biden were President, and he had done exactly what Obama has done over the past 11 months, do you really think Joe Biden gets the Nobel Peace Prize? Ask yourself that question and answer it honestly. I confidently say he doesn't.

And I voted for Obama and suppot him, and I don't have a problem with how the Nobel committee handles THEIR award. It's an AWARD.
I am not on the committee.

I am just clearing up all the questions/objections about why Obama got the AWARD.

[bear sin rug]

Obama won because he's not Bush. And the prize was a  gift to the American people for taking out the trash in the last election.

What he said  :)

[Sassbox]

I am just clearing up all the questions/objections about why Obama got the AWARD.

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LOL.  Continue with your nonsensical drivel if you must...

[Penny Lane]

he INHERITED TWO WARS and a recession, and the committee knows, the WORLD knows that his election is not so much about a young, inexperienced, bi-racial, liberal, culturally popular guy getting elected, it's about an administration acknowledging the changing times in international global affairs, it's about FINALLY having someone who's willing to compromise and work w/other nations, about realizing that we won't be the superpower we once were ever again, and as our economy and our influence over the world will get smaller, it's about a man and an administration w/the potential to make things better for everyone as this is happening. i think it's very telling that he won, ...it's a sign of just how important the next 8 years will be for international diplomacy. instead of calling the enemy evil, you extend a hand and then when they reject it, you get other countries on board to help you; the last 8 to 12 years have been about isolating the US and pissing off other nations, so when it hits the fan, we are alone,...um other than britain and....mexico? oh wait, not even them anymore. you can disagree about all his socialist policies, but if you can't see the bigger picture here...it just doesn't seem like you've been paying attention....just  my .02.

[bear sin rug]

I am just clearing up all the questions/objections about why Obama got the AWARD.

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LOL.  Continue with your nonsensical drivel if you must...

Do you think a white president gets the Nobel for doing the same thing Obama has done? Seriously, do you?

[Sassbox]

You're the one proudly sporting the Crown of Conjecture, not me.

[bear sin rug]

You're the one proudly sporting the Crown of Conjecture, not me.

How about the Crown of Rationality?

Your refusal to answer my question (twice now) answers it for me.
If Obama is white, he doesn't get the Nobel prize. Period. It is what it is.

[Sassbox]

Who is being irrational?  The person who accepts the statements of the committee as fact or the one who insists that he knows otherwise...just because?

I didn't answer your question because your question is ridiculous.  It is impossible for me -- and you -- to say with any certainty how the committee would react in the face of hypotheticals.

[el_chode]

Honestly, I don't think it's about race at all, at least in the minds of those who issue the award. I think they'd be fairly blatant about the racial aspects if it were the case.

In all honesty, I think it's just on pretense and the "hope" (pardon the cliche) of a better tomorrow.

Though I traveled abroad post-9/11, I was greeted with more fascination than contempt than I was warned about. Still, I think that the standing of us here in the States was more of a war hawk looking to pick a fight with the next person who looked at him the wrong way. I think there was a lot of apprehension that we'd keep rolling through the mid-east half-assed and make everyone else's lives a diplomatic hellhole since they'd have to be "with us" or "against us".

Though nationally we are still divided, the election turned out to be much more one-sided than the last two. There was an acknowledgment of popular sentiment and less of a "decider" approach. And there was the promise to correct the wrongs of the past decade, much of which lead to the tumultuous atmosphere. Speculation of an invasion of Iran was so rampant it even factored into the Sopranos' final season.

There was the campaign promise to avert this, and to quell a growing tide of resentment domestically and internationally. I think that's why he got it - the hawaiian was going to show the world how to safely surf a rising tide of uncertainty.

And that's fine.

My whole argument is to just wait until he gets to the beach.

I do not think that the rest of the world is so hung up on race as us here in America to really play into the petty color games.