Obama’s Cracker Jack Toy Surprise

All sarcasm aside, the standards for the prize aren't intended to please American partisans. I agree this is a surprise (and one certain to make Obama detractors grind their teeth), however, what this is based on more than anything else is the huge contrast seen by the world when comparing the international visions of this president vs. our last president. The attitude expressed by GWB (you're either with us or against us) seemed to set the stage for his administrations general philosophy, and it isn't hard to understand why that wasn't taken particularly well by so many other countries in the civilized world. It's all relative isn't it... cause/effect, reap/sow, action/reaction, etc.

Except that usually you have to actually ACCOMPLISH something, not just give speeches, to win the Nobel Peace prize.

I may not have agreed with Carter's Nobel either, but the man did help negotiate real, tangible peace accords, whether they held up or not.

What tangible accomplishments can be listed for Obama to have won this Nobel at this time?

Is the Nobel Peace prize to now be reduced to nothing more than a flavor of the moment award for pacifism?

I am surprised as most are (including the White House, by every account). Also, I think most people would agree this prize is as much as a swipe at the Bush Administration as it a recognition of Obama. That combined with a weak field of candidate (or at least less recognizable names) led to this award. He also did accomplish a minor thing: returning the U.S. to a place of respect in global politics. Yes, it a perception, but perceptions matter.

Of course, the anti-everything Obama people will blame him for winning an award he didn't nominate himself for and had nothing to do with receiving. What I hope they realize is that this is not a curse, but an opportunity.

Personally, I think he should (and will) accept gracefully, acknowledge how little has been done and how much still needs to be done to improve conditions for peace, and then use the global platform to U.S. leadership in the promotion peace and human rights and continue to re-position our nation as a admirable world leader. I also hope he takes Sima Samar (who is a more deserved winner, IMHO) and moved the discussion of human rights in Afghanistan to a more prominent place (and perhaps stirring greater international support for the U.S. effort there).

Pointing out the fact that a simple change of attitude has improved world opinion of the United States seems to surprise the nutters who have tried to blame their failures on Obama and the Democrats.

A terrible setback to those who have spent Obama's entire Presidency (eight months) trying to destroy him with false spin and innuendo... Somebody call a Waaahmbulance.

I'll jump on the chorus of those who are surprised by this, but not so much for what he has (or hasn't) accomplished thus far in his term; rather it's for what he is continuing from GWB's time in office.

From Marc Ambinder: ...Obama, on executive power, on transparency, on state secrets, is just like President Bush, and so an award that rewards him, or the country, for sin expiation is premature, at best, and moronic, at worst.

You can go over and read a pretty scathing piece from Glenn Greenwald in full, if you want to find out what a historian might write about the first 9 months of Obama's presidency, where many of the Bush admin policies were continued. I never thought you could get a "Peace" prize prior to escalating a war in Afghanistan, continuing one in Iraq, possibly gearing up for one with Iran, and continuing to detain captives indefinitely. The more I think about it, GWB might have been just as eligible for this prize.

Initiating the closing of Guantanamo and accelerating detainees trials, beginning withdrawal from Iraq, sitting down with Iran for the highest level face-to-face talk since the 1970s, the highest level contacts with Myanmar ever, leading the negotiations with Russia and re-introducing global nuclear disarmament, etc.

I agree it is premature and undeserved on merit. I also disagree with the Administration's lack of transparency on many issues (but not all... secrecy is sometimes an unfortunate reality). I am also sure none of this done with the speed or to the degree that some would like.

However, to fail to notice the differences with President Bush can only be done with blinders on.

The Nobel committee has continued down the path of irrelevancy. The committee has made some fairly bad choices for the last decade or so, its anti-America agenda fits in perfectly with Mr. Obama’s. The following is a list of recent Nobel winners.
1994 Yasser Arafat (A terrorist)
2001 Kofi Annan (Anti-American Politician)
2002 Jimmy Carter (Anti American Politician)
2005 Mohamed El Baradei (A fool and a Liar)
2007 Al Gore (A large fool and liar)
2009 Barrack Obama (Anti-American Politician)

This is a collection of Leftist doofuses, unknown bureaucrats, petty dictators, terrorists, conmen, and crooks. What distinguished company, Mister President “No Clue”. The continuing journey to mental retardation is firmly imbedded in our society; this is not all that different from giving an Oscar to a pedophile.

2009 Barrack Obama (Anti-American Politician)

Proof positive that the right has no honor... or shame.

Let the play-pen lefties here in the States join their friends overseas -- this was another Annual Nobel PC Political Statement, and (leaving aside any recent sympathy for Obama's failed lobbying effort on behalf of Chicago) this was another year (as with a recent award to Carter, and possibly with Gore as well, beyond environmentalist lunacy celebrity) of the prize constituting the obvious statement, "Thank You For Not Being Bush." (And this year, it also involved a global PC celeb rock-star darling!)

But, J. Chem -- that Obama is continuing many of Bush's policy details (and in fact, has been worse in other ways) doesn't matter, for after all, this award has much to do with superficialities, and style rather than substance. What matters is how the members of the Committee and those sharing their views and their politics and approach to things

f e e l

about their selection and their award.

" a flavor of the moment award for pacifism"

PC pacifism, that is, and idealistic (at least) rhetoric; action (results, especially success) is not required.

That's part of what the lefty Political Statement of the year (what the Prize is about) is, this year.

Steve -

a simple change of attitude has improved world opinion of the United States

So, you are part of the 'he gives me a warm feeling in my tummy, and that is certainly worthy of the Nobel Peace prize' contingency, huh?

No surprise there.

Next year, Obama wins the Nobel Prize for Literature, sharing it of course with Bill Ayers.

Anti-conservative does not in any way equate to anti-american. You're statements are so over the top you cannot be take seriously.

Your ad hominem doesn't change a thing except give readers here a second example of the rights lack of honor, respect, and shame.

To quote Shimon Peres this morning:

"Very few leaders if at all were able to change the mood of the entire world in such a short while with such profound impact. You provided the entire humanity with fresh hope, with intellectual determination, and a feeling that there is a Lord in heaven and believers on earth," Peres, himself a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, wrote to Obama.

To quote AustinRoth now:

So, you are part of the 'he gives me a warm feeling in my tummy, and that is certainly worthy of the Nobel Peace prize' contingency, huh?

No surprise there Austin... just a little disappointment that you guys just can't let it go for even a second.

* * * * *

UPDATE: Voice of America: Arab Reaction Overwhelmingly Positive to Obama Nobel Prize

Initial reaction in the Arab world - among leaders and the public at large - has been overwhelmingly positive to the news that President Obama is the winner of this year's Nobel Peace Prize.

In Cairo, many were startled by the development, with some commenting that Mr. Obama had only been in office for under a year, and that it was "unusual for such a young president" to win the peace prize.

Former Egyptian Foreign Minister and Arab League Secretary-General Esmet Abdel Meguid, who was involved in Middle East peace talks for many years, said that Mr. Obama's award appears to be a positive development for peace in the region.

Austin Roth -- I always thought Noam Chomsky was the kind who might get the Literature prize.

* * *

"Initial reaction in the Arab world"

Gee, what a surprise. In addition to the starry-eyed naive nature of "nuclear-arms-free world," we have the uglier side of that "movement," which included in the past the anti-US-and-Western "peace" and anti-nuclear movement (the "freeze" and "disarmament" campaigners after Ronald Reagan was elected), and which has long also included the general phrase "nuclear-free Middle East" used when actually seeking the nuclear disarmament and deliberate weakening of Israel (not its enemies as well; the anti-nuclear Western protests never sought the weakening of the USSR as well, either).

SteveK -

Are you even aware that the time frame for nominations for the Nobel Peace prize closed 12 days after Obama's inauguration?

Can you say with a straight face that in the first twelve days of the Obama administration he had done enough to be considered worthy of the Nobel Peace prize?

comment read...

"Except that usually you have to actually ACCOMPLISH something, not just give speeches, to win the Nobel Peace prize."

One would think, right?
Nobel has set a precedence for just that.

Two words:
Al Gore.

I rest my case.

In all fairness, John53 does not represent the regular-Joe conservative. But of course, you already knew that. I am a conservative, and I'd like to think that I am an honorable man.

We've got to eliminate the "all the right" and "all the left" comments. It's partisan-hack spin and misdirection. Would you agree?

John 53 was wrong. With the exception of Al Gore, I can reasonably give reasons for their winning the prize.

I, for one, am proud to have a sitting President win the Prize.

All that is missing from this PC anti-Bush award is to have "HOPE" and "CHANGE" engraved on it.

(Won't that look especially great as a true albatross photographed around Obama's neck? Oh, will his portrait replace Nobel's on the medal, too? Or even have the award and the Committee renamed for Obama, the way to surpass this award?)

The only substantial claim that can be made for the award was that the US electorate chose a black American to be their President, so the award was mis-directed. (But, Time Lite still has the time to get it right at the end of this year, by making the "Person of the Year" the US Voter for so electing him.)