Big Fat Story
More than you’d think, the Nobel Prize for Peace often goes to someone the Norwegian board hopes will accomplish something someday—rather than to someone who has actually done anything to date. According to political scientist Ronald R. Krebs, “the committee has increasingly given the peace prize to honor the awardees' causes, even when their aspirations are not matched by concrete accomplishments.” He counts 27 such aspirational prizes since 1971. And when they go to dissidents, the peace prize sometimes hurts the cause more than it helps, emboldening heavy-handed leaders to quash protest rather than encourage change.
Photo: John Bazemore / AP Photo
In the category of yesterday’s news: Reports coming out of Oslo on Thursday suggested that no major candidate had emerged as the winner of the prize, which was given to President Barack Obama only a few hours later. The person leading in the pre-prize prognostication was Zimbabwe’s Morgan Tsvangirai, a trade union activist who had opposed President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe. Other apparent leading candidates included a Colombian senator, a Chinese dissident, and a Jordanian prince. Not mentioned? An American president.
Photo: Arturo Rodriguez / AP Photo
The Daily Beast’s Peter Beinart’s view that Obama has done nothing to deserve this prize reflects the attitude of many on the left and the right Friday who were universally shocked and almost universally appalled that Obama had been recognized in such a fashion at such an early stage in his presidency. The difficult task for the president was not accepting the award, although there were some who thought he should decline it, but figuring out how to manage the blowback. Beinart wrote, “the Nobel committee is actually just highlighting the gap that conservatives have long highlighted: between Obamamania as global hype and Obama’s actual accomplishments.”
Crib Notes On Obama's Nobel
Left and right agree: He didn’t deserve it. The Daily Beast’s guide to getting past the conventional wisdom on the lightning bolt from Oslo.
Three other presidents have been honored with the world’s most prestigious prize for peace. The last to receive the honor was Jimmy Carter in 2002, although he had been out of out of office for 20 years by then; the award was widely seen as recognition of his post-presidential achievements. Woodrow Wilson won the prize in 1919, hailed for ending World War I. The bellicose Teddy Roosevelt was recognized in 1906 not for, say, plunging America headlong into the Spanish-American War, but rather for helping to negotiate a peace between Russia and Japan.
Photo: Bjoern Sigurdsoen, Pool / AP Photo
Conservative talk-show host Rush Limbaugh told Politico that today’s decision was a “greater embarrassment” for Obama than the president’s failed attempt to bring the Olympics to Chicago. He said he thought the prize was Europe’s way of asking him to shrink from Afghanistan. "They love a weakened, neutered U.S, and this is their way of promoting that concept. I think God has a great sense of humor, too," Limbaugh said.
Photo: Alexis C. Glenn / UPI Photo
So President Obama, what are you going to do with that $1.4 million check which comes with your sweet Nobel medal? Obama’s made millions on his bestselling books. The White House has yet to make an announcement on what will become of the cash, but The Wall Street Journal reports that government ethics laws would let him keep it. Typically government employees are prevented from earning honorariums for speeches or articles, but according to one attorney, the president and vice president are exempt from these rules. Obama would also be prevented from taking an award from foreign governments, but the institute that awards the Nobel is a private entity.
Photo: Win McNamee / Getty Images
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the "lightning bolt" came from Oslo, Norway not Stockholm. The Nobel peace prize commitee is seated in Norway.
I'm just happy to see the Repukes go crazy, taking their cue from Lush Rimbaugh as usual.
I HAD RATHER BE A REPUKE THAN A DUMPACRAP
If the Nobel Committee had given Lush
Limbaugh the prize for jiggling his big nipples at the Republican Convention last fall the Lunatic Fringe would be dancing in the streets.
The reason you got so many sarcastic comments Peter is because you do not recognize nor appreciate Obama's accomplishments. America is now a nation the rest of the world feels is worthy and we are being paid positive attention. You do not respect the opinion of a group of experienced Europeans who recognize Obama's leadership and influence in the world. You question the intelligence and the integrity of the Nobel committee as if what you know and think is best. If you only understand Obama through the eyes of Americans you miss an opportunity to see what the rest of the world thinks. The problem is that you do not seem to care what the rest of the world thinks. The ugly Americans are alive and well and their appalling arrogance is on full display
Obama did not deserve this award, did you hear the gasp from the reporters when his name was announced, enough said.
President Obama does deserve the Nobel Peace Prize as he has set the United States on a new path with the worldwide community. He has restored faith in the U.S. by his initiatives to speak directly with Iran, start a peace process between the Palestinians and Israel, honor our previous global agreements (which the Bush Admin did not), start the withdrawal of troops from Iraq, reconsider the missile defense system in Europe, restrategize the Afghanistan war, work with international leaders on climate change and many other areas. Under the Bush Admin, the U.S. was seen as a bully who would attack anyone, anytime on any premise. President Obama has helped the U.S. regain strength as a leader in the worldwide community.
To the naysayers and the Bushies and the Rushies, I have two words: SOUR GRAPES!!! Why, for once, can't conservatives feel proud of their country? Having just returned from my first trip to Europe,I was overjoyed to hear positive feedback from people I met who are pleased that the US is finally breaking free of the Bush fiefdom and his administration's arrogance. Yes, Obama is a work in progress. His final chapters are yet to be written. But, his philosophy is in line with the 21st century: Diplomacy first. Too bad that the Norwegians embrace what our own citizens are blind to.
Some of you need to be reminded that Obama was nominated 12 days after the was inaugurated. So please tell me what he did in those first 12 days that would make him qualified to win the award? What peace did he bring to the world? What dramatic change did he bring in less than two weeks?
He does deserve it if only for his attitude and approach to ways of finding peace and communication with our "enemies". The Nobel nominators must have seen that he is a real peacemaker and is going against all odds. Congratulations and Well Deserved Pres. Obama. It is the quest that counts and the hope for positive results in the future.
Winston: I disagree with your statement. Who would you have picked? Or, are you just another wingnut right winger who hates what ever happens regarding President Obama?
This is getting worse than hearing about MJ.
I don't know why he could get noble prize.For what?? it shows how crazy are the people who are ruining the repo of Noble Prize.
OK... this has been up a long time, now.
Time to move on to another big fat story.
How about McChrystal leaking classified info?
Thank you.
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