Obama has won a Nobel - Page 12

deepimpact2 · #**166** 10-13-2009, 10:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by I.A.S.K.

Yes there have been plenty of people who have run on the same message and there have been presidents who've carried more of the vote. Who is the last president who had this much international support before and after being elected president? How many U.S. presidents draw crowds of millions anywhere outside of the country (even before being elected)?
And by support and being able to unite people I don't just mean Americans. Im not talking about just his election bid. As a world leader Obama's efforts and support are not paralleled by many. There are not many people who have rallied and campaigned for peace and unity and hope at the scale Obama has. If you think of the people who have had this kind of world wide support names you might mention would be Mandela, Bishop Tutu, Martin L. King Jr. Now, I would not go as far to say that Obama is their equal exactly, but he has gone a step further than any of them has been able to. To come from relative obscurity and be able to achieve what he has is quite amazing. All the other world leaders of this magnitude came out of some MAJOR civil rights movement/ fight against injustice. Obama came from "average" America. That is a feat.

So, what I am saying about his efforts is not specific to his camaign for president only. His campaign and promises made are just a bunch of words that aren't worth a certificate from Staples. What makes Obama's efforts even remotely worthy of a Nobel is the overwhelming support and inspiration and change he has made around the world. There has been no person who has had this much influence this soon and has used positivity to gain it.

Well said.

deepimpact2 · #**167** 10-13-2009, 10:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by honeychile

That's what most people are questioning. If the Nobel Committee want to cheapen the meaning of the Peace Prize, that's their privilege. Unfortunately, their decision also cheapens every Nobel prize they've awarded in the past.

It does not cheapen the award in their eyes, and I doubt it cheapens the award in the eyes of others around the world. That's going entirely too far. If that is the case, then the award should have been "cheapened" a long time ago when far more controversial people received it. Clearly it wasn't, and it won't be "cheapened" this time either.

srmom · #**168** 10-13-2009, 11:16 AM

Quote:

The difference is that a foreign country is "in charge of" this award. I certainly do question things...when the US is "in charge of" it. I'm not arrogant enough to tell folks in a foreign country what they should or should not do. That attitude is why other countries have so much hatred towards the US anyway. Instead I leave my questioning for things that occur HERE.

Hey, if you take a perusal of many of the foriegn countries editorials about the Obama Peace Prize, you'll see that they are puzzled by it as well. There are some downright critical ones coming out of Australia. Guess they must be arrogant too (or maybe just racist).

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2...12/2711565.htm

Quote:

Former foreign minister Alexander Downer has taken aim at the Nobel Peace Prize committee over its decision to award the latest prize to US President Barack Obama.

Mr Downer described the decision 'a farce' and said Mr Obama should have refused to accept the prize.

"He has been in office for less than nine months when it is announced that he has won the prize, so they would have made the decision a few weeks ago I suppose. It does make the whole system a bit of a farce," he said.

Mr Downer says it is a pity Mr Obama did not refuse the award.

He says the prize is overtly political and the committee is not equipped to choose the right winner.

"There are people out there like Morgan Tsvangirai, the Zimbabwean leader, who have been struggling for years and years for human rights and for a fair deal for their people who have been ignored," he said.

"While somebody who is, admittedly a very great global celebrity who has just come to office, gets the Nobel Peace prize.

"So it is clearly a completely political decision. Not a decision based on merit.

"Frankly to be nominated after he has been in office for 11 days and to win the prize after he has been in office for less than nine months, I think it discredits the whole system."

AND:

Quote:

The award has confounded some international observers who say it is premature, given that the President has been in office for just nine months and has achieved little on a range of foreign policy fronts.

Former Polish President Lech Walesa, also a Nobel Laureate, said it was too early to award Mr Obama with a peace prize saying he had made no contribution so far.

The Taliban in Afghanistan condemned the decision, saying he had escalated the conflict there and contributed to the deaths of countless civilians.

The editor of French newspaper liberation, Fabrice Rousselot, said the announcement had come as a surprise.

"I think what I would say is basically, has President Obama deserved it so far - the answer is no," he said.

"He hasn't achieved anything, you know, in terms of foreign policy and in other terms. I mean, he's involved in two wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

How dare they question a committee of 5 men from Norway! SHAME!!!

srmom · #**169** 10-13-2009, 11:33 AM

Even Clarence Page (who's Black btw) is questioning the validity of awarding Obama the peace prize. Is he a racist?

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/c...7428792.column

In this roundup of editorials, overwhelmingly people are questioning the timing/validity of it:

http://realclearpolitics.blogs.time....orial-roundup/

And then the jokesters:

Jay Leno: "That's pretty amazing, winning the Nobel Peace Prize," Jay Leno said Friday night of President Barack Obama's latest accolade. "Ironically, his biggest accomplishment as president so far ... winning the Nobel Peace Prize."

SNL this weekend joined in the jokes about Obama not deserving the prize just yet, suggesting that honors like People's Sexiest Man designation may soon go to children.

MysticCat · #**170** 10-13-2009, 11:49 AM

I've avoided this thread for days because I knew where it was going to go. I wasn't disappointed, but here I dive in anyway.

Quote:

Originally Posted by deepimpact2

The difference is that a foreign country is "in charge of" this award. I certainly do question things...when the US is "in charge of" it. I'm not arrogant enough to tell folks in a foreign country what they should or should not do. That attitude is why other countries have so much hatred towards the US anyway. Instead I leave my questioning for things that occur HERE.

Interesting approach. So, I guess all of us who protested apartheid should have kept our American traps shut, since we shouldn't tell folks in a foreign country what they should or shouldn't do. Let's stop all the complaining about Darfur while we're at it and keep our opinions about the Middle East to ourselves. And we won't even start on why the French think Jerry Lewis is so funny.

Look, I voted for Obama, I support Obama and I'd vote for him again. I actually felt bad for him when I heard he won the Nobel Peace Prize, because I could see exactly the sort of distracting criticism that would ensue. The criticism is not unfounded -- he hasn't had time to do anything. Pure and simple, I think they gave him the prize because he's not GWB, and in parts of the Europe and the world, that's enough reason right there.

It is what it is. I'm not losing any sleep over it.

srmom · #**171** 10-13-2009, 11:55 AM

Quote:

It is what it is. I'm not losing any sleep over it.

Neither am I

It's just fun to debate it (especially when there's nothing going on at my office).

Quote:

Interesting approach. So, I guess all of us who protested apartheid should have kept our American traps shut, since we shouldn't tell folks in a foreign country what they should or shouldn't do. Let's stop all the complaining about Darfur while we're at it and keep our opinions about the Middle East to ourselves. And we won't even start on why the French think Jerry Lewis is so funny.

Well said, but I used to love Martin & Lewis movies, I must have a French aesthetic.

knight_shadow · #**172** 10-13-2009, 12:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MysticCat

I've avoided this thread for days because I knew where it was going to go. I wasn't disappointed, but here I dive in anyway.

Same.

Did "racism" really get brought up again? Variety is apparently the spice of life.

/sarcasm

MysticCat · #**173** 10-13-2009, 12:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by srmom

I must have a French aesthetic.

I'm sorry.

DrPhil · #**174** 10-13-2009, 12:49 PM

I nominate this for WORST THREAD EVER.

The nominations are now closed. This thread wins.

Do not question my decision. I'm a private organization with my own criteria. You are not allowed to have opinions about it because you were not involved in the decision making process, nor can you change the decision.

Oh yeah...RACISM.

Thank you.

knight_shadow · #**175** 10-13-2009, 12:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DrPhil

Thank you.

What do you mean by that? I bet you mean "you people."

God, what a racist

DrPhil · #**176** 10-13-2009, 01:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by knight_shadow

What do you mean by that? I bet you mean "you people."

God, what a racist

OMG! If the "you" shoe doesn't fit then don't wear it.

knight_shadow · #**177** 10-13-2009, 01:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DrPhil

OMG! If the "you" shoe doesn't fit then don't wear it.

*tempted to bring back the Bush/Shoe image*

DrPhil · #**178** 10-13-2009, 01:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by knight_shadow

*tempted to bring back the Bush/Shoe image*

I never found that incident funny.

KSig RC · #**179** 10-13-2009, 01:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DrPhil

I never found that incident funny.

See, but you can't question that incident, because it happened overseas - regardless of whether it affected an American President, foreigners have a right to conduct their own business without our interference or presumption that our way of life (AKA "don't throw shit at the President") is inherently right. How arrogant.

knight_shadow · #**180** 10-13-2009, 01:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DrPhil

I never found that incident funny.

The incident itself wasn't.

The animated .gif aftermath was.