As HughS noted below, Barack Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for doing absolutely nothing. It is so ridiculous that one can’t help but wonder if the GOP has a mole in the Nobel committee. It is also so obvious that this award was made for purely political purposes that even the Obama-loving media are shaking their heads in incredulity. The Times of London wrote this:
The award of this year’s Nobel peace prize to President Obama will be met with widespread incredulity, consternation in many capitals and probably deep embarrassment by the President himself.
Rarely has an award had such an obvious political and partisan intent. It was clearly seen by the Norwegian Nobel committee as a way of expressing European gratitude for an end to the Bush Administration, approval for the election of America’s first black president and hope that Washington will honour its promise to re-engage with the world…
Mr Obama becomes the third sitting US President to receive the prize. The committee said today that he had “captured the world’s attention”. It is certainly true that his energy and aspirations have dazzled many of his supporters. Sadly, it seems they have so bedazzled the Norwegians that they can no longer separate hopes from achievement. The achievements of all previous winners have been diminished.
Benedict Brogan at the UK Telegraph:
They could have awarded it to Kylie Minogue and I wouldn’t have been half as surprised as I am watching the television screens around me proclaiming that Barack Obama has been awarded the 2009 Nobel peace prize…President Obama remains the barely man of world politics, barely a senator now barely a president, yet in the land of the Euro-weenies (copyright PJ O’Rourke) the great and the good remain in his thrall…What this does is accelerate the elevation of President Obama to a comedy confection, which he does not deserve, and gives his critics yet another bat to whack him with. Shame on the
SwedesNorwegians*. He should turn it down, even if he does look great in white tie and tails.
This isn’t about peace or even doing good. If it were former President George W. Bush would have won easily for his efforts to fight AIDS and malaria in Africa, which saved hundreds of thousands of lives. Ronald Reagan would have won for ending the cold war and freeing millions of people from the shackles of communism.
When ABCNews called the White House to get reaction, aides thought it was a joke. One responded, “It’s not April 1, is it?”
The Nobel Prize Committee freely admits that Obama was selected even though he hasn’t accomplished anything. All he’s done is “inspire” people, and I take issue with that:
“Only very rarely has a person to the same extent as Obama captured the world’s attention and given its people hope for a better future,” the Norwegian committee said as the prize was announced.
“His diplomacy is founded in the concept that those who are to lead the world must do so on the basis of values and attitudes that are shared by the majority of the world’s population.”
“The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided that the Nobel Peace Prize for 2009 is to be awarded to President Barack Obama for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples. The Committee has attached special importance to Obama’s vision of and work for a world without nuclear weapons.
He won the Nobel Peace Prize for wanting to spread hope and peace around the world. If that’s all it takes to get the award, then every beauty pageant contestant should have received one, too. But that’s what Obama is, when you think about it. He’s the beauty pageant president. He’s pretty and says nice things, but when you look below the surface, you discover he’s an empty vessel. Cue Bert Parks: There he is, Mr. America!”
