Obama wins Nobel Peace Prize

**Benzo** · 10-09-2009, 09:34 AM

Quote:

OSLO – President Barack Obama won the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize on Friday in a stunning decision designed to encourage his initiatives to reduce nuclear arms, ease tensions with the Muslim world and stress diplomacy and cooperation rather than unilateralism.
Nobel observers were shocked by the unexpected choice so early in the Obama presidency, which began less than two weeks before the Feb. 1 nomination deadline.
White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said Obama woke up to the news a little before 6 a.m. EDT. The White House had no immediate comment on the announcement, which took the administration by surprise.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee decided not to inform Obama before the announcement because it didn't want to wake him up, committee chairman Thorbjoern Jagland said.
"Waking up a president in the middle of the night, this isn't really something you do," Jagland said.

In a surprise, Obama wins Nobel Peace Prize - Yahoo! News

Ok love the guy all you want, and maybe he should get next year .....but seriously Why?? I don't understand.

jeffb · 10-09-2009, 09:42 AM

Awfully early for a very young President only 10 months into a Presidency, to win this. I really like him, but it's a head scratcher.

DuCa00795 · 10-09-2009, 10:27 AM

That is shocking...But he has lots of plans that may revolutionize the world as we know it.

**Benzo** · 10-09-2009, 10:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DuCa00795

That is shocking...But he has lots of plans that may revolutionize the world as we know it.

Ya so give to him if it works....no reason to now.

**Claudius** · 10-09-2009, 11:52 AM

So because of a policy shift he gets the nobel peace prize, all the while he's still has a war in Afghanistan and doesn't know how to shut down Gitmo? Really?

If you're rewarding him on a shift away from unilateralism why not give it to the Democratic party, which had this in place as an ethos prior to his presidency?

Oh and how peaceful is the tactic of bringing in protectionist measures? I must've missed that memo.

See, this is my problem with the damn peace prize. It's a prop. It's given to the guy who's the flavour of the year, but who hasn't really accomplished anything. I understand giving it to Jimmy Carter in 2002 because well, he deserved it and demonstrated his desire to make the world a better place with his Habitant for Humanity (or whatever it is) programme. Yes, I have to ignore his policies in Central America as his time as President, but over the greater scope, yes he deserved it.

But this leads into my second point. The entire reward. It's a reward for elites which simply gives them a nice pat on the back. Wow, you were only responsible for 1000 deaths this year instead of 4000. Good job! Why not actually search out the people that make a difference each year. Why not acknowledge the people who bust their asses in NGO's? Are those people not making a difference daily? I'm gonna end my rant there.

jeffb · 10-09-2009, 11:56 AM

The funniest thing about this is the people that are under consideration for this were under consideration prior to January 09? Before he became president. And nominations had to be in by Feb. 1st (12 days after being sworn in)

crazy!

10-09-2009, 02:09 PM

This guy gets it 12 days after he's elected, while he's done nothing and was chilling in the white house.

and Gandhi, maybe one of the leading peace advocats ever in the history of the world didn't get one even after being nominated 4 times lol.

Is Obama really on the same page as Mother Teresa or Nelson Mandela? Give me a break. This is ridiculous.

LX · 10-09-2009, 02:19 PM

It's a crazy motherfucking world.

Today he gets the Perace Prize. Tomorrow he sends another 40,000 troops to a shithole.

And at no point does he feel compelled to prosecute Bush,Cheney, Rumsfeld, Rice for the war crimes that the Geneva convention says he is compelled to prosecute them for if he doesn't want to be prosecuted himself.

Oh - and of course he's a communist.

Crazy motherfucking world.

**Benzo** · 10-09-2009, 02:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by •LX•

It's a crazy motherfucking world.

Today he gets the Perace Prize. Tomorrow he sends another 40,000 troops to a shithole.

And at no point does he feel compelled to prosecute Bush,Cheney, Rumsfeld, Rice for the war crimes that the Geneva convention says he is compelled to prosecute them for if he doesn't want to be prosecuted himself.

Oh - and of course he's a communist.

Crazy motherfucking world.

Socialist

LX · 10-09-2009, 02:38 PM

Any guy that's out to kill off all the grannies has to be a commie in my books.

**Claudius** · 10-09-2009, 02:42 PM

I thought he was a Nazi?

LX · 10-09-2009, 03:04 PM

Oh yeah - that too.

It's absolutely insane. He either a demon set on destroying all that is good, or he is some kind of savior that needs to be praised before he ever accomplishes anything praiseworthy. And yet the obvious truth is that he is the great keeper of the status quo. Sure, he might eventually bring about some impressive changes, but from everything I can see he aims to get there by following a very careful path. And that's probably smart and pragmatic. But it's also filled with morally dubious choices that are real and should be pinpointed and discussed outside of the usual hysteria. But only to keep me from wondering just how crazy this world is, and that's not worth much. so it ain't happening.

**Benzo** · 10-09-2009, 03:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by •LX•

Oh yeah - that too.

It's absolutely insane. He either a demon set on destroying all that is good, or he is some kind of savior that needs to be praised before he ever accomplishes anything praiseworthy. And yet the obvious truth is that he is the great keeper of the status quo. Sure, he might eventually bring about some impressive changes, but from everything I can see he aims to get there by following a very careful path. And that's probably smart and pragmatic. But it's also filled with morally dubious choices that are real and should be pinpointed and discussed outside of the usual hysteria. But only to keep me from wondering just how crazy this world is, and that's not worth much. so it ain't happening.

That paragraph is a far cry from the night he got elected, and you came on after a few too many sips of wine.

LX · 10-09-2009, 03:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Benzo

That paragraph is a far cry from the night he got elected, and you came on after a few too many sips of wine.

That was a great night. It didn't change how crazy the world is. And don't get me wrong. I'm not afraid of the craziness. Well, maybe a little afraid. Like how it's conceivable that people kill of their own grandmothers just so the government is able to get its grubby hands on them first. But after taking a deep breath, I find a lot more positive possibilities out there then I did a few years ago. The craziness is all out on the fringes. That's territory I know pretty well. Nothing to worry about at all at the end of the day.

Change is inevitable. Obama or no Obama. The ground has been shifting for a long time. Enormous changes are coming at some point. Resistence to change is just as inevitable. I still feel very encouraged by how much people are recognizing the need to at least face the need for change, because not facing it at all is what really scares me, and the problems caused by that sort of behavior brings on the craziness that gets very hard to sort out.

Superjudge · 10-09-2009, 04:06 PM

I'm sure you all will be on the board next year, you can choose sombody else.

Aar_Canada · 10-09-2009, 05:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bmats7

This guy gets it 12 days after he's elected, while he's done nothing and was chilling in the white house.

and Gandhi, maybe one of the leading peace advocats ever in the history of the world didn't get one even after being nominated 4 times lol.

Is Obama really on the same page as Mother Teresa or Nelson Mandela? Give me a break. This is ridiculous.

You should read what Christopher Hitchens has to say about both Mother Teresa and Ghandi.

Anyway, Al Gore won a peace prize for his environmental work, so it's all a little silly anyway. After 8 years of Bush, they're content with using the award as a sort of gentle nudge to get him to keep moving with whatever plan he has.

Rye · 10-09-2009, 08:59 PM

The people at nobel have lost their dam minds

who else should have won it though?

**'trane** · 10-09-2009, 11:27 PM

an interesting perspective. i encourage you to read the whole article and not just the few paragraphs i have copied here. i was as surprised as anyone that he won the award, and i am still unsure whether or not it has any merit, but this is an illuminating point of view:

Obama deserves the Nobel: He has changed the international game - The Globe and Mail

Quote:

The Nobel Peace Prize is not a lifetime-achievement award. It tends to honour actions that change the way the world functions, the way countries engage or publics think about a conflict. They should be important, historic actions, but the prize does not wait for results.

Mr. Obama falls squarely into this tradition: He has changed the game. International relations no longer function the way they have for the past decade, and important new possibilities are now open. On the issues that matter – a nuclear-free world, an end to dangerous rogue states – the path is no longer blocked, and all the world's major powers act and vote together.

The words “Obama agenda” make many of us think of a bogged-down and increasingly horrific conflict in Afghanistan, an unrelenting standoff between Israel and Arabs half a century after Mr. Pearson got involved, and a Guantanamo Bay prison that determinedly stays open.

These are significant issues, and they hang pointedly over Mr. Obama's young administration. They happen to be the geographically limited but symbolically loaded conflicts that obsess North Americans.

The Nobel Peace Prize is a European prize. The world outside North America sees Afghanistan, Israel and the embers of the Iraq conflict amid a far wider array of threats and worries. There are larger issues at stake. Some of them involve the fate of the world.

Mr. Obama's decision to cancel the U.S. missile-defence system in Poland and the Czech Republic, and thus to end a simmering conflict with Russia and make nuclear disarmament possible, was an enormous development to Europeans.

His leadership of a UN Security Council summit that called for total nuclear disarmament – unanimously, for the first time – and launched a strengthened nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, just before sitting down with Iran, was probably the headline of the year outside North America.

His Cairo speech opening dialogue with the Middle East and putting international relations back on political and economic terms – ending the “clash of civilizations” and “axis of evil” confrontation of previous years – was received as a historic epiphany in much of the world.

His talks with Iran, with Russia's and Europe's help, and his recognition that Iran is a long-term problem rather than an immediate threat, have signalled a new recognition that change can be made to happen, as it was in 1989, by playing a long game built on shared values. That, for the rest of the world, was a big deal.

It could be dismissed as mere talk. But it is precisely the sort of initiative that has defined the Nobel Peace Prize, and that has led it to honour, with a few embarrassing exceptions, the great developments of our age.

LX · 10-10-2009, 12:11 PM

I'm right there with Europe on those issues Trane. I mean if he gets any kind of success with what he wants to do with eradicating nukes, then I'd chisel his image on mount Rushmore myself. I still think it's too soon to recognize what's been done so far. But if it helps carry the momentum there further, then I certainly can't complain. At the same time I worry that the award makes it seem a little too easily achieved with inevitable disappointments.

The article definitely puts things in a context that seems much less crazy.

LX · 10-10-2009, 01:34 PM

And this totally puts it into context.

Quote:

"Daddy, you won the Nobel Peace Prize, and it is Bo's birthday."
-- Malia Obama

10-09-2009, 11:56 AM	#6 (permalink)
jeffb is EL PRESIDENTE Senior Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: YO MAMMA Posts: 57,322 Representing:	The funniest thing about this is the people that are under consideration for this were under consideration prior to January 09? Before he became president. And nominations had to be in by Feb. 1st (12 days after being sworn in) crazy! Last edited by jeffb; 10-09-2009 at 12:00 PM.

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10-09-2009, 09:42 AM	#2 (permalink)
jeffb is EL PRESIDENTE Senior Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: YO MAMMA Posts: 57,322 Representing:	Awfully early for a very young President only 10 months into a Presidency, to win this. I really like him, but it's a head scratcher.

10-09-2009, 10:27 AM	#3 (permalink)
DuCa00795 is back Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: The Maratimes Posts: 2,452 Representing:	That is shocking...But he has lots of plans that may revolutionize the world as we know it.

10-09-2009, 11:52 AM	#5 (permalink)
Claudius is contemplating The Killing Joke Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Burkina Faso, Disputed Zone Posts: 9,593 Representing:	So because of a policy shift he gets the nobel peace prize, all the while he's still has a war in Afghanistan and doesn't know how to shut down Gitmo? Really? If you're rewarding him on a shift away from unilateralism why not give it to the Democratic party, which had this in place as an ethos prior to his presidency? Oh and how peaceful is the tactic of bringing in protectionist measures? I must've missed that memo. See, this is my problem with the damn peace prize. It's a prop. It's given to the guy who's the flavour of the year, but who hasn't really accomplished anything. I understand giving it to Jimmy Carter in 2002 because well, he deserved it and demonstrated his desire to make the world a better place with his Habitant for Humanity (or whatever it is) programme. Yes, I have to ignore his policies in Central America as his time as President, but over the greater scope, yes he deserved it. But this leads into my second point. The entire reward. It's a reward for elites which simply gives them a nice pat on the back. Wow, you were only responsible for 1000 deaths this year instead of 4000. Good job! Why not actually search out the people that make a difference each year. Why not acknowledge the people who bust their asses in NGO's? Are those people not making a difference daily? I'm gonna end my rant there.

10-09-2009, 02:09 PM	#7 (permalink)
Bmats7 is pounding the rock! (Edit) Guest Posts: n/a Representing:	This guy gets it 12 days after he's elected, while he's done nothing and was chilling in the white house. and Gandhi, maybe one of the leading peace advocats ever in the history of the world didn't get one even after being nominated 4 times lol. Is Obama really on the same page as Mother Teresa or Nelson Mandela? Give me a break. This is ridiculous.

10-09-2009, 02:19 PM	#8 (permalink)
LX is boycotting boy cots In the Paint Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Toronto Posts: 23,357 Representing:	It's a crazy motherfucking world. Today he gets the Perace Prize. Tomorrow he sends another 40,000 troops to a shithole. And at no point does he feel compelled to prosecute Bush,Cheney, Rumsfeld, Rice for the war crimes that the Geneva convention says he is compelled to prosecute them for if he doesn't want to be prosecuted himself. Oh - and of course he's a communist. Crazy motherfucking world.

10-09-2009, 02:38 PM	#10 (permalink)
LX is boycotting boy cots In the Paint Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Toronto Posts: 23,357 Representing:	Any guy that's out to kill off all the grannies has to be a commie in my books.

10-09-2009, 02:42 PM	#11 (permalink)
Claudius is contemplating The Killing Joke Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Burkina Faso, Disputed Zone Posts: 9,593 Representing:	I thought he was a Nazi?

10-09-2009, 03:04 PM	#12 (permalink)
LX is boycotting boy cots In the Paint Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Toronto Posts: 23,357 Representing:	Oh yeah - that too. It's absolutely insane. He either a demon set on destroying all that is good, or he is some kind of savior that needs to be praised before he ever accomplishes anything praiseworthy. And yet the obvious truth is that he is the great keeper of the status quo. Sure, he might eventually bring about some impressive changes, but from everything I can see he aims to get there by following a very careful path. And that's probably smart and pragmatic. But it's also filled with morally dubious choices that are real and should be pinpointed and discussed outside of the usual hysteria. But only to keep me from wondering just how crazy this world is, and that's not worth much. so it ain't happening.

10-09-2009, 04:06 PM	#15 (permalink)
Superjudge is pounding the rock! Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 17,392 Representing:	I'm sure you all will be on the board next year, you can choose sombody else.

10-09-2009, 08:59 PM	#17 (permalink)
Rye is 5 game win streaking Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 701 Representing:	The people at nobel have lost their dam minds who else should have won it though?

10-10-2009, 12:11 PM	#19 (permalink)
LX is boycotting boy cots In the Paint Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Toronto Posts: 23,357 Representing:	I'm right there with Europe on those issues Trane. I mean if he gets any kind of success with what he wants to do with eradicating nukes, then I'd chisel his image on mount Rushmore myself. I still think it's too soon to recognize what's been done so far. But if it helps carry the momentum there further, then I certainly can't complain. At the same time I worry that the award makes it seem a little too easily achieved with inevitable disappointments. The article definitely puts things in a context that seems much less crazy.