Obama receives the Nobel Peace Prize

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

The Presidental Medal of (cough, cough) Freedom.

ironically on the anniversary of his famous swim and "rescue attempt"  at the bridge

[S. Williamson]

When I asked my brother about it this morning (Masters in International Politics, only democrat in the family), he was thoroughly confused too.  His theory (at least earlier today) was Obama's accomplishments in American race relations.

I'm not sure what to think.  Certainly other people deserved it more than him.

[Monkeyleg]

Certainly other people deserved it more than him.

I think Fistful deserves it more than Obama.

[Perd Hapley]

I think Fistful deserves it more than Obama.

That's funny.  So do I.   

[xavier fremboe]

A few thoughts:

1) This makes the betting for the NPP winner pretty easy. He four-petes through 2013 and picks up another on the fifth, tenth, fifteenth, etc. anniversary of his first.

2). I told my daughter I would be equally proud of her if she won the NPP or Miss Congeniality in the Witchita Falls beauty pageant.  They carry the same moral weight.   

[dogmush]

Not true. 

In the Witchita Falls beauty pageant you have to be able to speak in public without a teleprompter.

[TechMan]

Or hell, why not just let Hitler and Stalin split it posthumously next year. After all, they had good intentions (atleast they (probably) saw it like that).

Actually Stalin (1945 & 1948) and Mussolini (1935) were both nominated.

http://nobelprize.org/nomination/peace/nomination.php?string=stalin&action=simplesearch&submit.x=6&submit.y=12&submit=submit

http://nobelprize.org/nomination/peace/nomination.php?string=mussolini&action=simplesearch&submit.x=13&submit.y=4&submit=submit

[Viking]

Actually Stalin (1945 & 1948) and Mussolini (1935) were both nominated.

http://nobelprize.org/nomination/peace/nomination.php?string=stalin&action=simplesearch&submit.x=6&submit.y=12&submit=submit

http://nobelprize.org/nomination/peace/nomination.php?string=mussolini&action=simplesearch&submit.x=13&submit.y=4&submit=submit

So was Hitler, although the guy who nominated him was a staunch anti-fascist who did it because Chamberlain had been nominated the year before, which he considered to be quite preposterous. IIRC, his motivation in the letter sent to the commitee was that Hitler deserved because he'd obviously had had the opportunity to start a full-blown war the year before, but hadn't (his annexation of Austria and Sudetenland). Obviously people completely lacked a sense of humour and didn't recognize sarcasm when they saw it, so he caught a lot of crap over that...

[Ben]

As I read all the news and blogs that are covering this, including looking back at past NPPs, the recipients, and the nominees, I come to the conclusion that the best thing they could do would be to disqualify from the NPP all Presidents, dictators, emperors, kings, queens, and other heads of state and their ilk.

Even in those cases where a head of state did something that did qualify them for nomination, there seems to always be an "unknown" nominee that did much, much more. Case in point would be Gore (who I argue did NOT qualify) getting it over Irena Sendlerowa. Gore was a Vice President, with an entire infrastructure, and all he did was fly around the country and shoot off his mouth. Irena was an ordinary woman who did something extraordinary. That he won over her was a disgrace and slap in the face to her legacy.

[Perd Hapley]

They were going to give it to him eventually.  Let's just be glad they did it before he can even claim to have accomplished anything. That just makes it all the more obvious that the prize has become an award for anti-American sentiment, rather than actually bringing about anything related to peace. 

My opinion is that this award is simply a residual effect of the world's hatred for our previous president.

Which suitably describes his popularity and electoral success.  Adequately demonize a mediocre leader, and the empty suit who runs against him (or against his legacy in this case) will seem like a savior. 

[mellestad]

When I asked my brother about it this morning (Masters in International Politics, only democrat in the family), he was thoroughly confused too.  His theory (at least earlier today) was Obama's accomplishments in American race relations.

I'm not sure what to think.  Certainly other people deserved it more than him.

Although I think it is strange for him to get it as well, the official reason from the NPP council seems to be, 'encouraging multilateral international diplomacy and nuclear nonproliferation'.

The multilateral part seems to be a jab at the Bush doctrine, the nuclear part might be about the missile shield being scrapped or some of the bills he was involved with in the senate (although I am not aware of any of them actually accomplishing anything).

[Angel Eyes]

You too can win a Nobel Peace Prize:

http://nobelpeaceprizegenerator.com/

[seeker_two]

I think Fistful deserves it more than Obama.

I think Obama deserves fistful more than he deserves any award.... 

[Jamisjockey]

Although I think it is strange for him to get it as well, the official reason from the NPP council seems to be, 'encouraging multilateral international diplomacy and nuclear nonproliferation'.

The multilateral part seems to be a jab at the Bush doctrine, the nuclear part might be about the missile shield being scrapped or some of the bills he was involved with in the senate (although I am not aware of any of them actually accomplishing anything).

Didn't you read the part about the nomination period ending 11 days after President Obama was inaugurated?

[Fly320s]

You too can win a Nobel Peace Prize:

http://nobelpeaceprizegenerator.com/

I won!  Eventually. Only took three tries. :)

[mellestad]

Didn't you read the part about the nomination period ending 11 days after President Obama was inaugurated?

Are the 'reasons' for being selected set in stone at nomination? (Edit: apparantly not, "Some might also make a nomination in case their favorites were to accomplish something prize-worthy after the strict deadline.")  http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=6971130 <-- says 205 were nominated this year, and has some description of the process.  

""It is very easy to be nominated for the peace prize, but that is in no way an endorsement by the committee," said Geir Lundestad, the Norwegian awards committee's nonvoting secretary."

It looks like the nominating committee can nominate anyone for any reason, then it gets paired down later to a much smaller list of potential candidates, and that is what the final NPP panel votes on.

(Edit: The article also states that there are literally thousands of people with nomination rights.  The panel picks the winner, but nominators are 'at large')

*shrug*

[erictank]

And this on the exact same day that your space fleets bomb the moon?  A crazy decision!

 :rolleyes:

 

Hey now!  We're PROUD of our boys and girls in the Space Navy in THIS country, Mister!!  

Man, in office for less than two weeks and The One can get nominated for (and end up winning) the Nobel Peace Prize.  Just confirms what we've learned over the last decade or so - that thing really *IS* worthless. :rolleyes:

I won!  Eventually. Only took three tries. :)

Got mine on the first try!  [Nelson Muntz] Ha-ha![/Nelson Muntz]  

[Harold Tuttle]

and thus a new joke form is born:

Yo Bama is so Hopey Changey,
He got a nobel just for showing up!

Oh yeah?
 Well
Yo Bama is so Hopey Changey,
He flies Air Force One to Denmark to visit Oprah!

Oh Yeah?
Well
Yo Bama is so Hopey Changey,
He thinks Don't ask Don't Tell applies to Wookies!

[bedlamite]

[Regolith]

If I had photoshop on this computer, I'd so 'shop Obama's head into it...^^

[bedlamite]

If I had photoshop on this computer, I'd so 'shop Obama's head into it...^^

Harold to the white courtesy phone please.

[roo_ster]

Harold to the white courtesy phone please.

He won't have to touch the ears.