Nobel Peace Prize! Does Obama deserve it?

[GalataPSB]

President Barack Obama wins Nobel Peace Prize

President Barack Obama won the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize on Friday in a stunning decision designed to build momentum behind his initiatives to reduce nuclear arms, ease tensions with the Muslim world and stress diplomacy and cooperation rather than unilateralism.

Obama said he was surprised and deeply humbled by the honor, and planned to travel to Oslo to accept the prize, which he said he does not see "as a recognition of my own accomplishments," but rather as a recognition of goals he has set for the United States and the world.

"I do not feel that I deserve to be in the company of so many transformative figures that have been honored by this prize," Obama said.

Many observers were shocked by the unexpected choice so early in the Obama presidency, which began less than two weeks before the Feb. 1 nomination deadline and has yet to yield concrete achievements in peacemaking.

Some around the world objected to the choice of Obama, who still oversees wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and has launched deadly counter-terror strikes in Pakistan and Somalia.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/eu_nobel_peace


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This must be a joke!

[Pani]

I think this should not be given as some kind of gesture or credit
or just positive ideas, it should be given to persons who already
have reached something.

Why not waiting let's say two years and have a look at him again?

[Patrick Bateman]

I don't think he's done enough for world peace as Henry Kissinger did by bombing Cambodia and killing Allende so no, must try harder.

[whateverman42]

Wow, Nobel credibility just slipped a bit. The man is sustaining wars (as per his orders) and increasing troops. What a joke. Obama does one thing, Brand Obama gets you to believe another.

[StevePSB]

Whilst you can't argue he has a totally different approach to the cowboy before him it is definitely too early. He's only spoken so far, not actually done.


StevePSB

[glennjridge]

I actually do like the guy but people just trip over themselves to want to love him...to want him to be the most awesome president ever because he is the first african american president, so its like people want to affirm this feeling they have of him
pre-emptively by boosting their notion of him with things like this.

he isnt quite there yet but I'm hopeful he will be remembered for something actually tangible.

[York Minster]

I don't think he's done enough for world peace as Henry Kissinger did by bombing Cambodia and killing Allende so no, must try harder.

Please tell me more about Kissinger's role in Chile killing Allende.

[GalataPSB]

They could have awarded it to Kylie Minogue and I wouldn’t have been half as surprised as I am watching the television screens around me proclaiming that Barack Obama has been awarded the 2009 Nobel peace prize.

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/bened ... n-it-down/

[Patrick Bateman]

Please tell me more about Kissinger's role in Chile killing Allende.

http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Kissi ... _TOHK.html

[billiejo]

Too much too soon

[Fugitive1979]

It's all talk so far. They should at least wait until he has actually done something.

[markus]

It's good PR for the Nobel prize, and good PR for Sweden. That's what it's all about.

[df118junkie]

I think they should have waited a year until we had at least cleared Iraq, Afganistan, Northern Pakistan, and preferably Iran of Islamic fundamentalists. At least then, we would know there actually was a chance of world peace. Mother Nature seems to be handling the Islamic & Catholic problem in the South Pacific, so the task should be fairly easy. I suggest holding the celebration party in Tehran, sometime in September 2010 (The weather is so lovely at that time of year)

[Hillbilly]

It's good PR for the Nobel prize, and good PR for Sweden. That's what it's all about.

And Norway too, in this case.

[Shopper]

Now he'll have to move hell and earth to ensure that all he talks gets implemented!! so maybe that was the intent of giving it ??

The nobel peace prize always had some controversy around it..remember arafat-rabin-peres etc getting it in 1992...its not like those nations are holding hands and playing ring-a-ring-a-roses with each other.