the Celebrity won an undeserved award

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when i saw the obama won the peace prize i was surprised. I also thought "what the hell did he do to deserve that?"
 
When I heard it I thought it was a hoax. When I learned it wasn't I wondered if they just couldn't find anybody else to give it too. It was so oddly unexpected I guess I don't have an opinion.
 
Taken from a random article:

"The prize, worth 10 million Swedish crowns ($1.6 million), will be handed over in Oslo on December 10."

So does Obama get to keep the $1.6 mil? If so, he should donate it to an actual organization that fights for peace.
 
Minimorty said:
http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/10/09/us.nobel.presidents/index.html

I'm surprised nobody has brought this up today. The guy does absolutely nothing, and wins a Nobel Peace Prize. Unreal.
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I have been afraid to. I know that Obama is popular on these boards, and the voting for the award was completed 2 weeks after he took office. So um.. they are either hoping he will do great things or they are giving him the consolation prize for not getting the olympics for Chicago.

Either way, it cheapens the award.. though after Al Gore won.. Im not sure it can get much cheaper.
 
GraceOMalley said:
Minimorty said:
http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/10/09/us.nobel.presidents/index.html

I'm surprised nobody has brought this up today. The guy does absolutely nothing, and wins a Nobel Peace Prize. Unreal.
Click to expand...

I have been afraid to. I know that Obama is popular on these boards, and the voting for the award was completed 2 weeks after he took office. So um.. they are either hoping he will do great things or they are giving him the consolation prize for not getting the olympics for Chicago.

Either way, it cheapens the award.. though after Al Gore won.. Im not sure it can get much cheaper.
Click to expand...

I think they were just expressing their happiness over the fact that GW wasn't the President anymore.

I saw this just after I posted, pretty funny.
 
I don't understand all the outrage and confusion. The Nobel Peace price has always been rather subjective in its nature and up to the whim of the Nobel Commitee.

The (alleged) top contenders were:

- Colombian peace broker Piedad Cordoba

- Afghan rights activist Sima Samar

- Zimbabwe's Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai.

- French-Colombian activist and ex-hostage Ingrid Betancourt

- Jordanian interfaith dialogue advocate Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad

- U.S. President Barack Obama

- French President Nicolas Sarkozy

I bet for most of the people on this list, it would have barely been newsworthy - or do you guys think that Sarkozy should have won instead !?!?? :P

Reuters Article
 
tmare said:
GraceOMalley said:
Minimorty said:
http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/10/09/us.nobel.presidents/index.html

I'm surprised nobody has brought this up today. The guy does absolutely nothing, and wins a Nobel Peace Prize. Unreal.
Click to expand...

I have been afraid to. I know that Obama is popular on these boards, and the voting for the award was completed 2 weeks after he took office. So um.. they are either hoping he will do great things or they are giving him the consolation prize for not getting the olympics for Chicago.

Either way, it cheapens the award.. though after Al Gore won.. Im not sure it can get much cheaper.
Click to expand...

I think they were just expressing their happiness over the fact that GW wasn't the President anymore.

I saw this just after I posted, pretty funny.
Click to expand...

That is of course, a possibility. LOL
 
g_c,

Aside from Sarkozy, the others on that list have years of effort in resolving conflicts to qualify them as eligible and worthy of recognition. Obama has done nothing and he knows it... he even admits it. To the rest of the world, it looks as if the Norwegians have given the Prize for nothing more than intent, and many of them find that offensive. To me, it appears they are rewarding intent in order to influence future policy in a way that promotes their desired world, rather than actual recognition of effort and accomplishment. It's like awarding the Congressional Medal of Honor to a West Point Cadet upon graduation.

I do agree that it has made a mockery of the Peace Prize itself. I also think it will invite ridicule of Obama, making it harder to achieve the goals he has set for his administration because no one really thinks he deserves it.
 
I intend to cure cancer. I just put it on my "to-do" list today. I can prove it is on my list.

When do I pick up the Nobel prize in medicine? I could use the money.

To Obama's credit, he did say his prize money would go to charity, and expressed his own surprise at the award.

If the President is successful in keeping his promises, he will deserve a combined Nobel prize in economics, medicine, AND peace. I wish him well, but simply don't believe it will happen. Simple math and human nature says it isn't so.
 
Just to clarify, the nominations were made by February 1. The actual decision was not made until mid-September or October.

I am of mixed feelings about it. There have certainly been times in my own career where I have been facing a worthwhile, but daunting, challenge, and encouragement from my mentors or others in authority have helped me see those challenges through. That was how I interpreted the award, but admittedly that interpretation is derived from my own experience.

The Nobel Committee's reasons were reported as follows:

The Norwegian Nobel Committee made the announcement on Friday, citing Obama's vision of a world without nuclear weapons and his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples. The committee also noted his initiative to meet the challenge of climate change.
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I think you can say that it was no small feat to turn (most of) the world's opinion of the US 180 degrees. I also think the magnitude of having the UN Security Council unanimously pass (including Russia and China!) the US' resolution regarding the proliferation of nuclear weapons was not appreciated by many people.

Do I think it was premature? Yes. Do I think others were more deserving? Yes. Do I think it was wholly undeserved? No.

My favorite was comment was from the State Department:

Certainly from our standpoint, this gives us a sense of momentum -- when the United States has accolades tossed its way, rather than shoes.
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I'm not shocked Obama won at all.

Average Nobel Prize Committee voter... "Lets vote for the cool guy."

Same logic used by most voters in the 2008 election.
 
The world breathed a sigh of relief when GW finally left the White House after 8 years.

The award is a result of that feeling of relief. Just for a moment stop thinking like an American.

Think like a European or a Russian or a peace loving Muslim. Big difference. They all feel much more safe

with Obama as POTUS.

I know. Now we are just weak appeasers. LOL.
 
bltserv said:
The world breathed a sigh of relief when GW finally left the White House after 8 years.

The award is a result of that feeling of relief. Just for a moment stop thinking like an American.

Think like a European or a Russian or a peace loving Muslim. Big difference. They all feel much more safe

with Obama as POTUS.

I know. Now we are just weak appeasers. LOL.
Click to expand...

A POTUS that had ZERO foreign policy experience made the Europeans, Russians or peace loving Muslim's feel safer?

He was nominated 2 weeks into his term. That makes the nomination and the subsequent award a Popularity contest nothing more nothing less.
 
Nude said:
g_c,

Aside from Sarkozy, the others on that list have years of effort in resolving conflicts to qualify them as eligible and worthy of recognition. Obama has done nothing and he knows it... he even admits it. To the rest of the world, it looks as if the Norwegians have given the Prize for nothing more than intent, and many of them find that offensive. To me, it appears they are rewarding intent in order to influence future policy in a way that promotes their desired world, rather than actual recognition of effort and accomplishment. It's like awarding the Congressional Medal of Honor to a West Point Cadet upon graduation.

I do agree that it has made a mockery of the Peace Prize itself. I also think it will invite ridicule of Obama, making it harder to achieve the goals he has set for his administration because no one really thinks he deserves it.
Click to expand...

It doesn't just look like that was their intent, it seems like it was.

"It's quite likely this committee will reward somebody who is engaged in current processes," said Kristian Berg Harpviken, head of the International Peace Institute in Oslo (PRIO). "They want the prize to have an impact on things that are about to happen and want to affect events," he told Reuters.
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It's just a subjective price ... it's not like he came in last in a Marathon and was declared a winner.
 
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