Obama '08?

Honestly, I think only the Presidents of Costa Rica, and maybe fuckin' Luxembourg ought to be eligible for any peace prize, Nobel or otherwise. Every other President is, directly or indirectly, responsible for the violent deaths of innocent people. In Obama's case, he's still deploying robot-murderers, aka drones, in Afghanistan, which have slightly better aim than I do. (You anti-Obama nerds on A2K don't get to criticize this, as Premier Bush instituted the practice). I wonder how many truly revolutionary but low-profile proponents of real peace might have been recognized. You know, people who meet the standars of, like, Oscar Romero.

I agree with you 100%. I believe the Nobel Prize committee has gone bazurk!

Even if the prize should have gone to other people, it's not like it makes sense to burn Obama for it. I expect right-wing media to exploit this as some point of attack on Obama.

Some people may want the award to go to someone other than Obama because they wanted it to go to another candidate, but I'd like some honesty, prior to this morning, who was keeping tabs on the short list? Did we really care that much, or do we care after all is said and done? For everyone that says that they wish person X had won instead, did they declare that before or after Obama won it? I see lots of reasons that Obama winning don't make sense, but I'm calling how I see it. There is also a lot of manufactured outrage by those who have invested a great deal of time on the defamation of Obama, and for those people this is a cultural validation they cannot bear.

We weren't talking about the Nobel Peace Prize yesterday. We weren't talking about our favorite picks. We weren't hedging bets on A2K threads about who we'd wake up to find won today.

T
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O

True, but that fact isn't unique to this year's prize and, therefore, a consequence of this year's winner. Obviously some stuffed suit addicted to Crest whitening strips is stroking his six-foot anti-Obama boner on Fox News right now. But as far as A2K goes, I don't remember threads being generated until after Gore and Carter were named either.

I don't disagree, I would just like someone to tell me without Googling or retroactively researching the other candidates, who they think should have won.

I'm not saying he deserved it, but the reactions to him winning seem to score higher on the ridiculous meter from where I'm standing.

T
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I'd have suggested Romeo Dallaire, among other more worthy candidates.

I think most people believe that the winner of this award should actually have done something to earn it. Looking at the list today I see a lot of people who have real, actual, accomplishments that have led toward peace. I couldn't have named any of them before today, but my expectation is that to win a prize, you must have done something to earn it.

You win prizes/awards for accomplishments.

The Nobel committee disagrees with you on that one.

Cycloptichorn

Actually, they should give him the award for economics and literature as well. He's done as much or more in those arenas...

I guess that my thoughts are that people object to Obama winning because they don't see him as achieving enough yet, meanwhile other people are under-appreciated for their contributions. This seems like an odd objection to have when people struggle to name without looking at the list people who should be recognized. It's not just the Nobel council who is doing a poor job at recognizing people in my opinion. I don't see us as being in a position to be so critical.

EhBeth - Thank you. Someone who I'm watching in the future is John Kanzius. I think his studies on radio waves and water could create incredible medical and energy breakthroughs in the future.

T
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Didn't do it without googling, but here's the other nominees...

Meet the People Who Were Passed Over for Obama

Sima Samar, women's rights activist in Afghanistan: "With dogged persistence and at great personal risk, she kept her schools and clinics open in Afghanistan even during the most repressive days of the Taliban regime, whose laws prohibited the education of girls past the age of eight. When the Taliban fell, Samar returned to Kabul and accepted the post of Minister for Women's Affairs."

Ingrid Betancourt: French-Colombian ex-hostage held for six years.

"Dr. Denis Mukwege: Doctor, founder and head of Panzi Hospital in Bukavu, Democratic Republic of Congo. He has dedicated his life to helping Congolese women and girls who are victims of gang rape and brutal sexual violence."

Handicap International and Cluster Munition Coalition: "These organizations are recognized for their consistently serious efforts to clean up cluster bombs, also known as land mines. Innocent civilians are regularly killed worldwide because the unseen bombs explode when stepped upon."

"Hu Jia, a human rights activist and an outspoken critic of the Chinese government, who was sentenced last year to a three-and-a-half-year prison term for 'inciting subversion of state power.'"

"Wei Jingsheng, who spent 17 years in Chinese prisons for urging reforms of China's communist system. He now lives in the United States."

http://www.weeklystandard.com/weblogs/TWSFP/2009/10/meet_the_people_who_were_passe.asp

Obviously Cyclops. But thanks for stating the obvious.

Well, I just felt that a break from the 'he doesn't deserve it!' meme would be refreshing.

Cycloptichorn

yes I'm sure the right-wing nuts would like to see a human rights advocate receive the Peace Prize.

Oh, I totally understand why you'd want to do that.

And I'm *shocked* to find you once again defending any and everything about Obama.

Just as I was absolutely shocked to see you attacking him; I mean, it's practically your favorite thing to do.

It's hard to see how Obama needs to be defended, from receiving an award which he didn't ask for and cannot reasonably decline. What exactly needs defending?

Nothing. It's just another excuse for the assholes who love to attack him to get in a few more shots at him. In the long run, however, it doesn't affect anything in any way, other than to make some people look pretty crass for knocking the guy.

Cycloptichorn

Was Obama in the committee, too?

Actually, this brings up a good point.

When Obama was elected last year, one of the points that he hammered over and over was that change would take a long time and be a difficult struggle. And he challenged folks to stay involved after the election, to keep active politically and to help him accomplish his goals.

You love to bitch about Obama. I mean, you really seem to enjoy it. I'm sure you will protest that you don't, but I don't believe you. So let me ask you, as someone who voted for Obama, exactly what have you done to stay active politically? To help him accomplish the health care bill or other bills?

My guess is: nothing whatsoever. Because it's way, way easier to sit around and bitch, than it is to actually work towards something. Part of the reason that I've continued my support of Obama since the election is the fact that I realized - before I ever voted for him for Prez - that Obama would not accomplish his goals anytime soon and that he would be surrounded by nay-sayers on all sides, with some of the worst being members of our own party. So I have remained active, I still work for Organizing for America and donate time and volunteer and do actual research on what is going on. I, as they say, Write my Congressman.

So pardon me if I do defend the guy against the mostly substance-less attacks from the right wing, and from ex-Clinton supporter Concern trolls. If you expected anything to be different than how it is today - that the Dems would have to struggle to accomplish the goals that we voted for - you were deluding yourself from the start.

Cycloptichorn

Do you all believe that Mr Obama wasn't consulted first?

It's an urban myth that the peace prize is awarded in recognition for peace efforts, human rights and democracy only after they have proven successful.

The prize is more often awarded to encourage those who receive it continue in their direction of eventual peace at critical turning points of history.

Next question is to ask yourself who would you award it to? George Bush?