President Barack Obama made history again Friday, winning the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize for his "extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples."

My issue…nominations have to be in by Feb 11th. So Obama was given the award for all of his hard work in the first 21 days he was in office.

Jagland said he hoped the prize would help Obama resolve the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Ahh, so this was a done as an agenda, not because of what he's done.

Discuss.

Just saw this…

BREAKING NEWS:

Ken Lewis (CEO Bank America), Vikram Pandit (CEO Citi), Ken Thompson (former CO Wachovia), Alan Schwartz (former CEO Bear Stearns) and Dick Fuld (former CEO Lehman Brothers)

Will all share in the 2009 Nobel Prize in Economics.

HAHAHAHAHA Ok, that's funny.

Like it or not, Obama being elected made a huge impact on the entire world.  Just his efforts alone have given people all over the world hope for a more peaceful global community.

That said, the Nobel Peace Prize isn't really considered much of an honor compared to the other Nobel awards.  It's like the Miss Congeniality award at a beauty pageant.  The whole idea of it is to award people for effort not actual results.

If you ask me, I think Obama deserves a prize just for following the phenomenal mess made by Bush Jr.  Bush made a really bad name for America across the globe and Obama got us some cred back.  If we want to make any progress in the world, we have to become a part of the community, not wave giant foam "#1" fingers at everyone else.  Our country is most definitely great and we are lucky to have the freedoms and liberties that most don't, but we are by far not the greatest country on Earth.  Even before being elected, Obama had shown the rest of the world that we have the ability change our role in the community for the better.

But, it's at the fate of our own country.

I think that it would show more to everyone if he would refuse it and say that it should go to someone more qualified for this prize. That would impress me and show that he does care about how we're seen by the rest of the world.

Still, I think that we need to look at home as well as across the globe, and instead of kissing everyone ass, fix our problems here.  Not just try to scratch everyone else's back for his own gain.  Not the gain of the US.

He's spending sprees and willy nilly trips to NYC for dinner using my tax money show his true side. He needs to be more concerned about what's going on in his own back yard instead of volleying for the Olympics.

His efforts? 

What has he actually ACCOMPLISHED?
Restrain Irans' nuke weapons program? Nope!
Contain North Koreas' technology sales? Nope!
Reduce the spread of Islamo-Fascism across Europe? Nope!
Halted the efforts of Putin to restore the Russian Empire via armed force? Nope!

This was given to him with not even a month under his belt.  I just fine it odd….that's all.

You read nothing of what I just posted.

Yes, I did….

And as I said…he's playing the Pawn of the world in the fate of our own Country.

I think that it would show more to everyone if he would refuse it and say that it should go to someone more qualified for this prize.

I believe that would be insulting to the Nobel committee.

Still, I think that we need to look at home as well as across the globe, and instead of kissing everyone ass, fix our problems here.  Not just try to scratch everyone else's back for his own gain.  Not the gain of the US.

But his focus has been at home.

He's spending sprees and willy nilly trips to NYC for dinner using my tax money show his true side.

Your tax money pays for his salary.  He can spend it however he likes just like any other government employee.  Just like Bush did with his 70+ trips to his Texas ranch.

He needs to be more concerned about what's going on in his own back yard instead of volleying for the Olympics.

Hosting the Olympics is a phenomenal opportunity for a country.  Forget the honor, the tourism revenues alone are what makes it all worth it.

And as I said…he's playing the Pawn of the world in the fate of our own Country.

LOL!  Where do you come up with this stuff?

From your home state, and on par with what you said.

http://tinyurl.com/yjcxupp

The award appeared to be a slap at Bush from a committee that harshly criticized Obama's predecessor for his largely unilateral military action in the wake of the Sept. 11 terror attacks. The Nobel committee praised Obama's creation of "a new climate in international politics" and said he had returned multilateral diplomacy and institutions like the U.N. to the center of the world stage.

And the UN is a joke in of it's self.

From a post from an Australian on Digg:

I see a lot of people wondering what he's done to deserve this, after such a short time, when his administration has done nothing to correct the abuses to the constitution inflicted by the previous government.

Well, this prize doesn't really have anything to do with domestic issues. From what I understand, the actions that led to this were

- Opening talks with Myanmar
- Opening talks with Iran, which were described later as 'we acheived more in 1 day of talks than in the previous 8 years of aggressive posturing' from people who were there
- Giving that speech n Egypt about bridging the gap between the west and muslim people
- Telling Israel to stop being such assholes

From the leader of any other country, that might not seem like much but it's a 100% turnaround from the last US government, and as the single largest power on Earth, that means a lot.

It's also difficult to appreciate from within the US, where your perception of his performance is clouded by so many divisive domestic issues. But for citizens of other countries, particularly Muslim ones, to get even the *slightest* respect from a US president is a massive change that has inspired a huge amount of hope.

Lastly, they are encouraging him to go even further. This is carrot & stick, but he gets some of the carrot early on just so he keeps it up.

He makes a good point in that it may seem difficult for an American to understand with all the domestic issues we're struggling with right now, but his symbolic presence on the global stage is much appreciated in other countries.

More perspective from a very reputable source:

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=obama-nobel-peace

Yes, the Aussie does make a good point.  And one thing that I will give him is where the French is/might stand by us with Iran.  Something that's suprising from a country that's hated us for so long.

I guess I am a little surprised that they gave him this award so soon and for things he is talking about and not something he has already done.  The Aussie's post made alot of sense and made me realize that its not just whats going on in America…its what is going on in the world.

But maybe it will spur him on to continue his efforts at making America more respected internationally.

One thing that really bothers me and my brother made me realize this when he walked in the office this morning and said "This Obama Nobel Prize award is a crock of shit".

He said it without reading a single article or doing any research. He said it simply because he is a republican and just finished watching Fox News and they told him it was a crock of shit.

That's what bothers me. Someone told him to say that.

I guess I am a little surprised that they gave him this award so soon and for things he is talking about and not something he has already done.

That's what my issue is…  This was just done in hopes to get him to do what the rest of the world wants.

He's a Pawn.  Richard thinks that I'm nuts, but he is. 

But then they have one to Gore and his whole theory is a crock as well.

This was just done in hopes to get him to do what the rest of the world wants.

Yeah, god forbid we reach a peaceful global community.

NO, that's fine Richard. I'm ok with him doing this on his own. But they are doing this in hopes to use him as a pawn!

Christ…you drink too much of the koolaid.

Look, if I were say my town's board of selectman.  And I said that I was going to keep the old folks home open.  That would be great.

But, if I were to get a Life time achevment award in HOPES to keep the Senior Center open…and then after I got the thing open…it would be in all the papers as a scandle.

"C-pher only kept it the old people out of the streets because they bribed him with an award."

But, when it's Obama, it's not a big deal.  As Said, this is a slap in the face of W…

BUT (shameless e-mail chain)
 
If George W. Bush had spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to take Laura Bush to a play in NYC, would you have approved?
 
     
If George W. Bush had reduced your retirement plan's holdings of GM stock by 90% and given the unions a majority stake in GM, would you have approved?
 
   
If George W.  Bush had made a joke at the expense of the Special Olympics, would you have approved?

 
If George W. Bush had given Gordon Brown a set of inexpensive and incorrectly formatted DVDs, when Gordon Brown had given him a thoughtful and historically significant gift, would you have approved?
   
If George W. Bush had given the Queen of England an iPod containing videos of his speeches, would you have thought this embarrassingly narcissistic and tacky?
 
   
If George W. Bush had bowed to the King of Saudi Arabia , would you have approved?
 
If George W. Bush had visited Austria and made reference to the non-existent "Austrian language," would you have brushed it off as a minor slip?
 
 
If George W. Bush had filled his cabinet and circle of advisers with people who cannot seem to keep current in their income taxes,  would you have approved?
   
 
If George W. Bush had been so Spanish illiterate as to refer to "Cinco de Cuatro" in front of the Mexican ambassador when it was the 5th of May (Cinco de Mayo), and continued to flub it when he tried again, would you have winced in embarrassment?
 
If George W.  Bush had misspelled the word "advice" would you have hammered him for it for years like Dan Quayle and potatoe as proof of what a dunce he is?
   
   
If George W.  Bush had burned 9,000 gallons of jet fuel to go plant a single tree on Earth Day, would you have concluded he ' s a hypocrite?
 
   
If George W.  Bush ' s administration had okayed Air Force One flying low over millions of people followed by a jet fighter in downtown Manhattan causing widespread panic, would you have wondered whether they actually get what happened on 9-11? 
 
 
If George W.  Bush had failed to send relief aid to flood victims throughout the Midwest with more people killed or made homeless than in New Orleans, would you want it made into a major ongoing political issue with claims of racism and incompetence?
 
If George W. Bush had ordered the firing of the CEO of a major corporation, even though he had no constitutional authority to do so, would you have approved?
 
If George W. Bush had proposed to double the national debt, which had taken more than two centuries to accumulate, in one year, would you have approved?
 
If George W. Bush had then proposed to double the debt again within 10 years, would you have approved?

I received this in my email today, and I think it really shows what a humble man Pres. Obama is. 

Peggy --

This morning, Michelle and I awoke to some surprising and humbling news. At 6 a.m., we received word that I'd been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for 2009.

To be honest, I do not feel that I deserve to be in the company of so many of the transformative figures who've been honored by this prize -- men and women who've inspired me and inspired the entire world through their courageous pursuit of peace.

But I also know that throughout history the Nobel Peace Prize has not just been used to honor specific achievement; it's also been used as a means to give momentum to a set of causes.

That is why I've said that I will accept this award as a call to action, a call for all nations and all peoples to confront the common challenges of the 21st century. These challenges won't all be met during my presidency, or even my lifetime. But I know these challenges can be met so long as it's recognized that they will not be met by one person or one nation alone.

This award -- and the call to action that comes with it -- does not belong simply to me or my administration; it belongs to all people around the world who have fought for justice and for peace. And most of all, it belongs to you, the men and women of America, who have dared to hope and have worked so hard to make our world a little better.

So today we humbly recommit to the important work that we've begun together. I'm grateful that you've stood with me thus far, and I'm honored to continue our vital work in the years to come.

Thank you,

President Barack Obama

ugh.

Preface: I'm not a Democrat.

The current, active Republicans are a bunch of whiny, lazy, dumbasses.  They have one standard approach to everything: Bitch and moan about everything that comes from the current administration.

Team Republican had nearly hopelessly fucked-up the country - Quagmire in Iraq, economic meltdown, huge debt, support for outsourcing, ignorance of global warming, torture, etc.

Now they lazy bastards can't do anything but bitch.  How about coming up with a plan and helping to improve the country?  I'm very disappointed at the lazy fools.

I've voted Republican in the past and support conservatism, but this group of tards couldn't pour piss out of a boot if the instructions were written on the heel.  It's no surprise that they jumped on Obama.  John McCain is the only one who's shown any sensibility and class in the matter.

For the last 8 years we've heard "Support Everything USA or You are Unamerican."  Where are these fuckheads now?  They are one dimensional and it's not good for the country.  Put your thinking caps on Reps and stop acting like babies.

We should be proud that representation from the rest of the world has recognized our president as someone who can bring peace to the world.

The award wasn't like the Congressional Medal of Freedom which is internal to the USA.  It's a global award.

Joe's General Rule: Don't bitch about it unless you can do better or can provide a better plan.

thank you Mox!