Obama wins Nobel Peace Prize???
 

What has he done to win this award? It's insanity. Perhaps he really is the Antichrist.

But last week the right-wing media blamed him for Chicago losing the Olympics bid and said he no longer had the ability to charm or influence the international community :confused:

Seriously though I am surprised by this but I can't say I pay enough attention to be able to name anyone that was obviously snubbed in Obama's favor.

Some quotes from an AP article on yahoo.com:

LMAO

If the Nobel committee's intent was to diminish any level of confidence that they're handing out this award for the correct reasons.......mission accomplished.

I'd love to know what Obama did during his first two weeks in office that justified this award.

Wow, that's fucking ridiculous.

His post-presidency speaking fee just went up even more. I'm sure he's happy about that.

Oh man ... sure, he's "captured the world's attention" and has already made some progress in improving international cooperation, but for crying out loud, look who his predecessor was. Regardless of one's personal feelings about Bush, the bar of international opinion was already pretty low when Obama came to office.

Maybe when some progress has been made on Afghanistan, Russia, or the West Bank, maybe then this won't seem so out of the blue. But to give it now, this just devalues the prize itself.

I like Obama as much as the next liberal.

But yeah, this. WTF.

Those were a pretty great two weeks.

We'll have to pull out the executive orders signed in those first two weeks. Evidently, they were pretty impactful. :)

Maybe it's all a set up deal, so he can decline the award & get the positive p.r. for setting a higher standard than those sparkling two weeks.

And just wait til they find out he bombed the moon this morning, boy will they look silly then.

I think the prize clearly relates to promoting peace on EARTH.

I was actually just thinking about this. At first, I thought 'Boy, I'd actually be impressed if he turned down the award'. But then I started thinking about all the scenarios.

1. If this committee is dumb enough to hand out this award in this manner, they're just as likely to snub legitimate future candidates from our country if Obama does turn down the award. That would be a shame.

2. If he keeps the award, he can accept the award with a 'glorious' speech noting all of the other candidates that were overlooked because he received the award. He can note the accomplishments of all his 'competitors' for this award and how much more they deserve it them him, thereby making himself look selfless while receiving an award he doesn't deserve in the slightest.

Yeah, he'll accept it. FWIW, I never thought I'd see an event that made Al Gore's Nobel prize seem somewhat justified. That day has come quite unexpectedly. Congrats, Al Gore.

For the record, that moon bomb was funded under the Bush administration budget. Definitely another situation where Bush is to blame.

Those Nobel folks sure are a crazy lot.

I'm surprised too, but who else should they have given it to?

I laughed.

The Nobel Prize for Literature has made some questionable picks as well over the years, principally the number of Swedes they've given it to. And a lot of fantastic writers with a large body of work never received it, like Nabokov.

you and nabokov...

Heh...

2001: Terrorist kill 3,000 Americans
2001: US Invades Afghanistan
2003: US Invades Iraq
2003-end of Bush Presidency: Oppenents argue that America forever damaged by "unilateral" GWOT.
2009: US President receives Nobel Peace Prize.

Bush's plan continues to be a huge success. Seriously.

I dunno, maybe Bill Clinton for turning into Jimmy Carter and heading over to North Korea to free the two arrested journalists? MC Hammer for getting Michael Crabtree to sign? Michael Jackson for bringing the whole world together by dying? The guys who head Harmonix for getting a licensing agreement out of the Beatles? Subby for single-handedly brining peace to Monopoly City Streets by ruthlessly destroying all cheaters?

From the Yahoo article on common myths about the Nobel Peace Prize:

• Myth: The prize is awarded to recognize efforts for peace, human rights and democracy only after they have proven successful.

More often, the prize is awarded to encourage those who receive it to see the effort through, sometimes at critical moments.

So, it seems like encouragement for Obama rather than recognition of already achieved tasks. Still feels odd, though.

FWIW......the 'myth' was more similar to the original intent of the awards by Mr. Nobel. The criteria used by the committee has changed over time away from his original intent.

Well, this is the same group that gave the award to Arafat.

Maybe this was the Committee's way of trying to get the US out of both Iraq and Afghanistan, plus tie Obama's hands regarding Iran?

In reality, they should have given it to the 60-odd million people who decided not to replace one warmonger with another in the White House.

I know I have some room on my mantel. :D

Seriously, though, as the award clearly references his actions prior to Inauguration as part of the rationale, I wonder how many of the people saying "WTF did he do in his first two weeks?!?!" are also the same people who complained that a) Obama was already acting like the President on the campaign trail and b) he was too involved with domestic and international affairs during the transition (or even before).

Not that I'm defending the award, it's just that I'm sure some people have short memories.

For instance....

Lighten up, guys. It's Friday, and the Peace Prize is easily the most political of the prizes given out by the Nobel Committee each year.

FOFC is truly blessed to have someone who knew the mind of Mr. Nobel. On a related note I had no idea you were as old as Bucc.

I already laughed about it, how much lighter can I really get?

I mean, yeah, I've giggled a little too afterwards but the initial laughter was probably more mirthy.

I wonder if, when she heard the news, Hillary went into her office and laughed or cried. Or trashed some of her furniture.

Hmm, let me check, nope that wasn't me.

I'm not taking this too seriously and find it pretty funny, especially a few days after SNL lampooned him for not doing fuck-all so far as President, that the world gives him one of its highest honors.

It's because Nakobov always falls apart in the playoffs.

I never really pictured you as someone who would giggle. Chortle, yes. Guffaw, certainly. But not giggle.

You've changed my entire perception, and on a Friday no less.

She's actually holding a staff meeting now to discuss a response.

Wow. This is baffling.

How about a group award to every Iranian that peacefully protested.

I voted for Obama, I was glad to see him win the presidency, but when I heard that he won the Nobel Prize for Peace... my first reaction was: "for what?"

I'm a liberal who voted for Obama, but I agree this is pretty ridiculous. It's only going to hurt his cause, causing more polarization. It's like some of Bushs's stunts that only added to the liberal rage. It certainly doesn't make the Nobel committee look too bright too. There are people who have been toiling their whole life at things to bring peace, come on.

I won't pretend to know what others in the world are doing to promote peace, but yeah, Bill Clinton is one that comes to mind quickly from America who is probably more deserving. I am an Obama supporter, but this is just a head scratcher.

To be awarded the Nobel prize for speeches about what you are going to do or would like to do early in your presidency, really make the prestige of the award ring hollow.

Lighten up? Personally, I just think it's sad.

Someone here asked who else should have won the award. I dunno. How about someone who has done something, not just said something. If Obama reaches his goal or even gets 80% of the way to nuclear disarmament, I'd be thrilled at him getting it. But now? It's ridiculous.

Here are a few potential people who could have won the award:
------------------------------------------------------------
Egeland, for example, said he nominated Denis Mukwege, a physician in the war-torn Democratic Republic of the Congo who opened a clinic to help rape victims.

Hu Jia, a human rights activist and an outspoken critic of the Chinese government, who was sentenced last year to a three-and-a-half-year prison term for "inciting subversion of state power." Another could be Wei Jingsheng, who spent 17 years in Chinese prisons for urging reforms of China's communist system. He now lives in the United States.
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People who have actually done something. Sacrificed. (exactly what "sacrifice" has Obama made?)

After my initial shock, I did laugh. Not the laugh you are thinking of though. I laughed at the absurdity of the expectations placed on Obama now. He could be the single best president of all time and I think he'd have no better than a 60/40 chance to win the next election now. Let's face it, the odds he actually gets nukes out of North Korea and Iran is about the same odds that I'm going to win the next Nobel award. It's one thing to make it a campaign promise or hope. It's another thing to actually get it done. Good luck pal. Glad I'm not in your shoes.

The committee doesn't really have the power to revoke Obama's hands, so I don't think that's happening.

As for the first point, the committee chair pretty much said that's what they were trying to do.

I believe the British bookies now have you listed as even money to win a Nobel Prize after today's announcement. Don't sell yourself short.

I went back and read the article about this story again, only to laugh once again at the absurdity of the whole thing. I have to keep telling myself that the site listed in the address bar is not The Onion.

As stupid as this all is, I really don't see this having any effect on his chances of winning the next election.

I checked the Web pretty thoroughly to make sure I wasn't being pranked before I replied, myself, lol

I think yo are sadly mistaken. He approval rating was already sliding, mainly due to expectations that aren't being fulfilled. This adds to those expectations. Keep in mind, not every American spends time actually analyzing the election. A lot of people are going to roll their eyes at yet another award for a guy who they feel hasn't done anything yet.

I think this might be a slight overreaction.

And most of those people aren't going to vote for him no matter what he does.

Can somebody point out which day in late September/early October Obama went from moving way too fast to moving way to slowly?

So which one is Hillary? (I think I know :D )

keep in mind, this is the same committee that gave this award a few years ago to someone who went around africa planting trees, and that was their whole gimmick