this is the sound of my eyes rolling

[jdotmi]

"OMG OBAMA WAS ONLY PRESIDENT FOR 11 DAYS WHEN HE WAS NOMINATED!!! OMGWTFBBBQREPUBLICANWINGS"

Y'all do realize that PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES is not a pre-requisite for getting a nomination, right? I mean, I assume people have more than half an active brain cell running in their heads despite over 10 years of working in IT. If you're going to argue against his winning of the award, point out the fact that his actual international politics background isn't quite up to par with the other nominees instead of going immediately for the weakest argument you possibly could.

Was he the best possible choice for the award this year? Clearly not. But the Nobel Peace Prize has something of a history of bizzare choices, so this shouldn't surprise anyone.

Edit to Add: http://gothfather.livejournal.com/417713.html

That link pretty well sums up the interwebz asplosion around this.

Comments

[celtcub.livejournal.com]

I'm just not seeing that he's actually DONE anything to deserve it. There's been lots of talking, but not a lot of actual DOING. Even less so on the Human Rights front.

Not a fan of him OR his getting the award. I think he still getting Kudos based solely on the fact that he's the First (Half) Black President™.

[dianak.livejournal.com]

The official announcement from the Norwegian Nobel Committe:

The Nobel Peace Prize for 2009

The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided that the Nobel Peace Prize for 2009 is to be awarded to President Barack Obama for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples. The Committee has attached special importance to Obama’s vision of and work for a world without nuclear weapons.

Obama has as President created a new climate in international politics. Multilateral diplomacy has regained a central position, with emphasis on the role that the United Nations and other international institutions can play. Dialogue and negotiations are preferred as instruments for resolving even the most difficult international conflicts. The vision of a world free from nuclear arms has powerfully stimulated disarmament and arms control negotiations. Thanks to Obama’s initiative, the USA is now playing a more constructive role in meeting the great climatic challenges the world is confronting. Democracy and human rights are to be strengthened.

Only very rarely has a person to the same extent as Obama captured the world’s attention and given its people hope for a better future. His diplomacy is founded in the concept that those who are to lead the world must do so on the basis of values and attitudes that are shared by the majority of the world’s population.

For 108 years, the Norwegian Nobel Committee has sought to stimulate precisely that international policy and those attitudes for which Obama is now the world’s leading spokesman. The Committee endorses Obama’s appeal that “Now is the time for all of us to take our share of responsibility for a global response to global challenges.”

Oslo, October 9, 2009

(from http://nobelpeaceprize.org/en_GB/home/announce-2009/)

[themaskedbeast.livejournal.com]

With regards to having done anything to deserve it, Obama himself said as much during his acceptance speech. George Stephanopoulos later commented that the award was given to Obama because of his ability to inspire the global political arena to consider peace.

Which, in the grand scheme of things, is an accomplishment not done by the last American president to be awarded the Nobel Prize - who, incidentally, wasn't half Black.

[themaskedbeast.livejournal.com]

I admired Obama's acceptance speech - and he very deftly deflected many of the arguments that could be made against him being even nominated for the award. I also believe that he was very wise to say that his nomination was to provide an impetus to policies that the world hoped would be forwarded, rather than as an acknowledgement of his own personal accomplishments.

Of course, IMO the value and credibility of the award itself was greatly diminished when Bush and Blair were nominated for it, with their (and I quote) "bringing a swift end to the conflict in Iraq."

So yeah... his nomination was as much about what is hoped for as anything else. His girls telling him, "Daddy, you won the Nobel Prize, and we have a 3-day weekend coming up" is a dose of perspective we can all use.

...TheMaskedBeast!

[pandarussian.livejournal.com]

(http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/article6868007.ece) Adolf Hitler was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by a member of the Swedish parliament in 1939. (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/article6868007.ece)

[themaskedbeast.livejournal.com]

As a member of the posterity with regards to that specific moment in history, I can only say that I'm more than happy that Hitler didn't actually win the award.