@Elmud,
kennethamy;97868 wrote:Do you really believe that an award should be given for what in the opinion of some is "progressive"?
First, my statement was not limited to "progressive"; I also mentioned Obama being a "capable, respectable diplomat" - and both qualifications were non-existent in the previous President who caused so much suffering in this world.
So, yes, I do believe that an award such a the Peace Prize might rightly be given to someone who brings such an acute and deeply needed change to an important world office. Obama did just that.
My only issue with the award is the existence of people who may be more deserving; but this is why I have not made any direct judgment on the matter.
kennethamy;97868 wrote: And that an award should be given to Obama for diplomacy when he had been in office for about two weeks?
Actually, he had been in office for longer than two weeks when the final decision was made.
And then there is the issue of Obama coming to office - why does it matter when Obama came into the President's office? Even before his inauguration, Obama had a great impact on the world; by the time of his inauguration he had a world tour under his belt that brought countless thousands of American loathing Europeans into the streets waving Old Glory. Even before his inauguration, he was able to re-inspire the world population of American's fundamental greatness. Even before his inauguration, he turned immense anti-American sentiment and pessimism into a glowing sense of hope about the future of America's relationship to the rest of the world. These pre-inaugural accomplishments are not insignificant.
Not to mention the fact that Obama managed, by force of ideas, to make himself into the first viable Presidential candidate of African descent in this nation's history, a history soiled with racism unimaginable. This is another massive achievement Obama obtained prior to inauguration.
kennethamy;97868 wrote:But, you asked me to say why the reasons given for the award were fatuous. Not why your reasons for his deserving the award are fatuous. I did the first by quoting the chairman of the committee's reasons for the award. And those arr clearly fatuous. Isn't that what you asked me to do?
Oh, now that's grand - yeah, a quote than was inserted in an edit that occurred after my response. And then you want to tell me that you'd already given a response.
And, after considering the various accomplishments I listed above in this post, I think that Obama has undoubtedly made immense contributions to peace in the previous year.
His domestic accomplishment of overcoming a great racial divide, and his international accomplishment of reintroducing hope and belief in the American Dream to people worldwide are great contributions to peace. Also, being a prime contended for the Presidency and simultaneously advocating the end of American torture and the winding down of the Iraq war all add political pressure on the other candidates to make similar statements - so, even if Obama had lost, his presence in the election would have helped to promote peace worldwide by adding political pressure to the other candidates.
It seems I asked of you the impossible.
