[MP-Ryan]

I know this is late to the thread, but I have to say it...

Wait, wait, hold up - you mean the award of Nobel prizes might be POLITICALLY MOTIVATED?  Heaven help us, say it ain't so!  /sarcasm

Even the scientific awards have politics behind them, people.  This award should come as no real surprise to anyone, whether he actually deserved it in our minds or not.

[Kosh]

Forgive me for my exasperation (dang, I am saying that WAY too much on this thread), but HE STILL HAS NOT DONE ANYTHING! 

He hasn't bombed Iran or North Korea......'nuff said.

[Akalabeth Angel]

Instead of focusing on what he hasn't done, why not focus on what Obama has done?

He's increased troops in Afghanistan.
Has not withdrawn the troops from Iraq.
He has failed to prosecute US officials involved in torture.
He continues to hold people without charge in so-called preventative detention and has tried to form a legal framework for it.


Hey hey hey! That deserves a prize! Especially the whole, looking the other way when it comes to torture. Pillar of the western world!

[General Battuta]

Well, I'm with you on the torture bit, but withdrawing troops from Iraq and not increasing troops in Afghanistan would both be crimes against peace.

[Akalabeth Angel]

Well, I'm with you on the torture bit, but withdrawing troops from Iraq and not increasing troops in Afghanistan would both be crimes against peace.

Didn't the new Iraqi leader tell the US to get out by a certain date? Or has that date not yet come to pass?
Afghanistan . . . maybe. But seriously when will Iraq be allowed to stand on its own two feet?

Then again I doubt the US will ever leave considering they've built some vatican-sized military base or embassy or something in there.

[peterv]

BTW, the nominations for the award were closed on February 1, 2009.

[Janos]

The nominations ended 9 days after, they didn't pick them then. He could have done stuff meanwhile.

He was nominated for a Peace Prize before he even did anything.  Anticipation of future events is (should) not (be) gound for a nomination.  I will grant that someone could have used that as justification, but look at the description of why it was awarded:  "for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples." (source here)  No specifics.  What efforts?  What had he done by that point?  What could he have possibly done in nine days that warranted the Peace Prize?  I don't think he even knew who his entire cabinet was at that point (feel free to correct me on this last sentence).

Hey, he is a US president, they're always nominated by someone. You see, it's not the Nobel committee which nominates the people, they only get a list of nominations and then vote on them waaaay afterwards!

Seriously, out of all stuff this has to be the most inconsequential and weird. "HE WAS NOMINATED BEFORE HE DID ANYTHING AND THEN HE DID SO **** **** PISS".

Take two dates. First date is the date when the nominations are closed. The second date is the date when the nominations are voted upon. Look at these two dates and think for a while. There might even be something inbetween!

Excuse me, but WHAT?!  He is the PRESIDENT! The COMMANDER IN CHIEF!  If he says to pull out, they damn well have to pull out.  His best work is succeeding in stopping it, not some BS about how he's trying.

Talks with Iran, reducing nuclear stockpile and, hey, did you notice that missile shield stuff and Kaliningrad just lately? And pulling out without a good plan is almost as dumb as going at the first place.

How about these guys?

The talks with the Palestinian delegation, headed by Emad al-Alami and Mohammed Nasr from Hamas's Syrian-based political leadership, represent the first such contact since fighting began but hopes of a truce appear dim.

Sarath Fonseka, who ended the Sri Lankan Civil War?

Umm, he ended it by pretty much steamrolling the place and killing everyone,  not particulary peaceful way of ending a conflict. Some intial reports were talking about like 10 000 civilian casualties during the offensive last winter. Dunno what's the real number.

Dimitris Christofias and Mehmet Ali Talat, attempting peace talks to reunite Cypress?

Those are all with a none too detailed browsing of the "2008" and "2009" entries on Wikipedia.

It should not be.  Presidential elections are a popularity contest, this should be nothing of the sort.  This should be recognizing people for extraordinary contributions.  Being popular and not being a jackass to everyone is NOT extraordinary contribution.

Although Obama has failed to act on quite a few of his domestic policies, his foreign policy has been quite successful in both dialogue and a honest attempt to reduce nuclear weapons and try to solve several probelms diplomatically. Americans don't always understand that his position abroad is much different from his domestic standing, and he is very influential and remarkably peaceful for such a powerful man - all of which probably played a significant role in his nomination. There is certainly a lot more than "Not Bush" in Obama's popularity.

[Mika]

One thing he has done is that he changed the missile shield policy. It is funny how quickly things change. It seems he has drastically improved the international reputation of US.

I think the Nobel Prize should be seen as the committee rewarding US people of changing the policy (by electing Obama) towards what the committee perceives as better.

[Blue Lion]

Some people are just not seeing the light.

1. "He didn't do anything!"

He doesn't have to do anything. If he talks with Iran, North Korea, takes down SDI, starts dismantling nuclear weapons... whatever. That's it. That's all he has to do.

The award isn't given to the person who gets peace, it's given to the person who tries for peace. People keep looking for results in what is possibly the biggest Participation Prize ever.

2. "He doesn't deserve it!"

Name someone else. The names Scotty gave were almost funny.

Of all the people who came in here to say he didn't deserve it, only two people have come in and given another name. And one of them named people who already got one.

[Herra Tohtori]

Yeah, well... what are they going to do if after four years of office Obama has ensured peace for our time, solved the energy problems, cured cancer and invented whiter teeth for everyone?

Give him a Nobel Peace Prize with Oak Leaves?

[TrashMan]

Some people are just not seeing the light.

1. "He didn't do anything!"

He doesn't have to do anything. If he talks with Iran, North Korea, takes down SDI, starts dismantling nuclear weapons... whatever. That's it. That's all he has to do.

Everyone talked with Iran and North Korea.
The ballistic shield in Europe being abandoned? No surprise there - they now have airborne lasers, the interceptor missiles are not needed anymore.
Not to mention that it really has little to do with world piece.

2. "He doesn't deserve it!"

Name someone else. The names Scotty gave were almost funny.

Of all the people who came in here to say he didn't deserve it, only two people have come in and given another name. And one of them named people who already got one.

I don't have to name someone else. It's not my job to propose canditates. I can, however, comment when those who's job it was don't do it right.

[Flipside]

I think the drug cartels should get a nobel peace-prize, if it wasn't for them, there'd be a lot of bored soldiers sitting round in third world countries, and that's never a good mixture

[NGTM-1R]

Besides, he did do something. I said it in my first post, but apparently nobody can read.

He defeated the Republican party and their commitment to the unilateral use of violence to solve world problems.

That right there, reining in the world's only remaining superpower on the use of force without consensus as to its need, is more than some previous winners of the prize have done.

[General Battuta]

Besides, he did do something. I said it in my first post, but apparently nobody can read.

He defeated the Republican party and their commitment to the unilateral use of violence to solve world problems.

That right there, reining in the world's only remaining superpower on the use of force without consensus as to its need, is more than some previous winners of the prize have done.

No, I said that too. I concur.

[Blue Lion]

Some people are just not seeing the light.

1. "He didn't do anything!"

He doesn't have to do anything. If he talks with Iran, North Korea, takes down SDI, starts dismantling nuclear weapons... whatever. That's it. That's all he has to do.

Everyone talked with Iran and North Korea.
The ballistic shield in Europe being abandoned? No surprise there - they now have airborne lasers, the interceptor missiles are not needed anymore.
Not to mention that it really has little to do with world piece.

Yea we always talked with Iran. Bush was on the phone with them all the time

2. "He doesn't deserve it!"

Name someone else. The names Scotty gave were almost funny.

Of all the people who came in here to say he didn't deserve it, only two people have come in and given another name. And one of them named people who already got one.

I don't have to name someone else. It's not my job to propose canditates. I can, however, comment when those who's job it was don't do it right.

Yea you do. If you don't know anyone better, what claim can you make that he isn't the best one? Just some sort of hypothetical guy better than him?

I mean really, how do you know he isn't the best if you can't think of anyone better?

[Liberator]

Besides, he did do something. I said it in my first post, but apparently nobody can read.

He defeated the Republican party and their commitment to the unilateral use of violence to solve world problems.

That right there, reining in the world's only remaining superpower on the use of force without consensus as to its need, is more than some previous winners of the prize have done.

Ok, so you'd rather have a multilateral milk drinkers talking about problems instead of actually trying to fix them...

Such as that is why I don't know how many thousands have died in Dharfur and continue to do so, meanwhile the bloody, thrice damned, waste of space United Nations has passed how many resolutions saying it's not genocide, just to keep the 4th rate tin-pot dictators from griping and complaining and mocking them.

Hate to break it to you, but having the moral high ground means having to fight for those who can't from time to time.

Freedom isn't free, it requires blood sacrifice from time to time to reinforce it's power.

[Blue Lion]

Ok, so you'd rather have a multilateral milk drinkers talking about problems instead of actually trying to fix them...

Yea! Don't "talk" about problems! Real men solve problems with force! Clearly Iraq and Afghanistan showed how easily force can solve problems.

Such as that is why I don't know how many thousands have died in Dharfur and continue to do so, meanwhile the bloody, thrice damned, waste of space United Nations has passed how many resolutions saying it's not genocide, just to keep the 4th rate tin-pot dictators from griping and complaining and mocking them.

What does what the UN isn't doing have any bearing on what we're talking about now?

Hate to break it to you, but having the moral high ground means having to fight for those who can't from time to time.

Freedom isn't free, it requires blood sacrifice from time to time to reinforce it's power.

And the mark of promoting peace is not using that force all the time. Or did you just stumble into talking points about us losing power?

[StarSlayer]

Besides, he did do something. I said it in my first post, but apparently nobody can read.

He defeated the Republican party and their commitment to the unilateral use of violence to solve world problems.

That right there, reining in the world's only remaining superpower on the use of force without consensus as to its need, is more than some previous winners of the prize have done.

Ok, so you'd rather have a multilateral milk drinkers talking about problems instead of actually trying to fix them...

Oh yeah Operation Iraqi Freedom, big thumbs up Liberator.  We certainly showed those milk drinking nay sayers that was a superb idea.  Over 4000 US servicemen and women dead, not to mention upwards of eighty five thousand Iraqi civilian casualties.  But hey we did manage to topple some jackass dictator who had been a military non entity since 19 friggen 90.  Not to mention turn a relatively stable country into the damn MiddleEast version of the Balkans with no bloody end in site. Way to ****ing go!

[NGTM-1R]

Lib, seriously. At this point, you practically refute yourself.

[peterv]

Yeah, well... what are they going to do if after four years of office Obama has ensured peace for our time, solved the energy problems, cured cancer and invented whiter teeth for everyone?

Give him a Nobel Peace Prize with Oak Leaves?

Well, they can give it to him even if he won't do anything at all. There will always be a very serious argument if there was actually a better one for it