Today I read in the New York Times that President Barak Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize for diplomacy. There have been only three other presidents who have won the prize. The first was Theodore Roosevelt who won the award for his work ending the Russo-Japanese War in 1905. Woodrow Wilson was awarded the prize for his efforts to start the League of Nations. The third president to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize was Jimmy Carter. He is the only president to receive the award after he had left office. According to the article, Barak Obama joins the group “for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples.” I just thought this was some interesting news from this morning.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/10/world/10nobel.html?_r=1&hp
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And don't forget that Al Gore also won but I would like to make a short point about the award. Opponents of Obama are criticizing him for winning despite the fact that he did not campaign for this nor did he make any effort, for that matter, to secure the award yet people continue to use it as an example of the president ignoring the country to build his "international image". The award went to the president of the United States while we still wage two wars abroad and Americans should recognize the honor that we won as a country and celebrate. I'm getting so tired of politics these days... the term "bully pulpit" seems to be rising to a new level.
ReplyDeleteI'm on the fence.
ReplyDeleteIn no way do I believe Obama deserved this award; not yet at least. If I'm not mistaken, the nominees had to be in only a short time after he took office and, in general, he has not been in office long enough to really prove himself in either a wholly positive or wholly negative way. There has simply just not been enough time...I am not saying that he is this or he's that...I'm just saying the jury is still out.
On the other hand, I do completely agree with Chad on the point that the American people, whether they agree or disagree with the award, should not attribute the receipt as a result of any efforts by Obama himself. Obviously someone, or a group of someones, believed he deserved this honor and believed that he has already proven himself as a peace-invoking figure in the world. That's their opinion, that's who they thought should have it, Obama did not ask for or otherwise show concern with achieving it. Everyone has the right to state their opinions and commend actions they see as honorable and for the better good, this opinion just happened to have weight where they give out an incredibly prestigious and honorable award.
Honestly, when I heard the news I was in disbelief. I do not think he is "unworthy" of the award, but I think that the award is an extreme honor given to some one who has accomplished great things. Obama was just elected in my eyes, he is brand new. The past president's who have got this award were honored for specific achievements such as Roosevelt negotiating an end to the Russo-Japanese War and Wilson won peacemaking during WWI. Obama won the award for creating readiness for peaceful dialogue? He just does not compare.
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