So Obama wins the PEACE PRIZE while he is planning possible further escalation in Afghanistan?

[NightWatcher]

I love that he wins this award but the timing of it coming while he is in planning on what to do and how he will escalate an eight year old war (10,000 more or 40,000 more as a general in the region has asked) seems a tad off.

Go ahead and flame me, but to give a man a PEACE PRIZE while he plans a surge in a war that has lasted for 8 long years with no real goal in place would be like PETA giving me an award at a barbecue as I stand over a grill covered in pork chops.

Let's end ALL THE WARS we've gotten ourselves into, THEN hand out peace prizes.

flame on.

[Mari333]

1. no flames from me. nt

[unhappycamper]

2. Wow.

You had at least two unrecs in two minutes. BTW, I completely agree with your observations.

[piratefish08]

14. I rec'ed to balance the scales. FWIW - I completely agree with the OP.

[MadHound]

3. I don't get this one either

The only thing that I can think of is that he gets this because he is NotBush. Other than that, he has done very little to deserve this award:shrug:

[Mudoria]

7. I have to agree

Aung San Suu Kyi would have been a more worthy winner imo. The President may at some point be worthy of this but at this point I can't see where he's done that much to deserve such an award.

[Sultana]

33. Not done much? Dude pay attention

In lecture today, that statement came up. And my prof had a stack of paper on what Obama has done in his short time in office.


Aung San Suu Kyi----> too narrow. Obama---->broad

[KakistocracyHater]

36. BERLIN FOOD DROP INTO AFGHANISTAN

I don't care either way, he's not Bush & he has an enormous global clusterfuck to clean up; we don't yet even know the extent of Republican derangement & damage. I hope Obama hears my advice re: Afghanistan. I shouted about it enough

[TicketyBoo]

4. I'm glad he won.

Maybe it's because he actually acknowledges that other countries exist?

Some of those "apologies" that the right-wing nutjobs rail against are being rewarded?

GObama!

[MadHound]

11. I acknowledge that other countries exist,

And frankly with my weekly anti-war protests and eight long year old peace campaign I've done more to promote peace than a man who is doubling down on the Afghan war while not ending the Iraq war.

Where is my award?

[TicketyBoo]

25. In Heaven.

[girl gone mad]

5. I have no doubt..

he is taking actions that will warrant this prize in the future, but agree that to give him one now sends a mixed message.

[PuraVidaDreamin]

6. Seems to me that he cannot escalate in Afghanistan now

without becoming a hypocrite if he accepts the award.

[Johonny]

37. kind of think that was the point of giving him the award

Instead of waiting until Obama is out of office and no chance to influence American policy, they chose to say we like what we hear, now go do it. The award brings add pressure on Obama no doubt about it. That it came just before the final decision on Afghanistan is rather important.

[Betty Karlson]

8. Most Peace Prize winners have blood on their hands.

At times, I fear one of the prerequisites of winning a Nobel prize is to have sent thousands to their deaths.

A short and incomplete list:

- Nelson mandela & Frederik De Klerk (former terrorist and persuitor of Apartheid)
- Shimon Peres and Yassir Arafat (Need an introduction into their long careers?)
- Kissinger (role in Vietnam War)
- Sadat and Begin (first draw a battle, then sign an accord)
- Michaïl Gorbachev (Yes, the Soviet Union was peacefully disbanded, IF we disregard the 200 or so Estonians who were killed at his command - to name a few)

Good Heavens, the list would have been even worse if Le Duc Thu, the Vietnamese who was destined to be a laureate together with Kissger, had not refused.

(Incidentally: only communists and fascists hve refused thus far)

[malaise]

9. Have you read the committee's rationale?

I'm also anti-war but he received the award for diplomacy particularly with regard to nuclear proliferation.

[Warren Stupidity]

23. why on earth would the OP actually bother with that?

It is so much better to score some series points.

[Sultana]

34. +1

Obama is the first American president to sit down and have talks about the disarmament of the nuclear weapons around the world.

[madrchsod]

10. what peace ?

the joke is on us

[Are_grits_groceries]

12. Here is the rationale of the Nobel Committee:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x6733097

[Liberal In Texas]

13. Yeah, and bombing the moon!

:evilgrin:

[FlaGranny]

15. Sometimes I think

that some "Democrats" are no brighter than Republicans and most of them hang out here.

You have NO proof that Obama is planning a "surge." He's deliberating the best action to take. No one knows yet what action that will be.

[Mari333]

16. in the meantime, our kids are dying in afghanistan

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x6733124

[MetaTrope]

17. Fewer American troops mean less violence overseas, perhaps?

[ThomCat]

18. As I said on another thread about this, it's not yet deserved.

It is nice that he is "calling for" disarmament. It is nice that he is "calling for" peace. But shouldn't the Nobel Peace Prize wait until he has actually accomplished something? :shrug:

It is nice that he is talking to our allies, but that is his job. It is nice that he is talking about the idea of talking about peace, but he is hasn't accomplished any yet.

1. How about negotiating a disarmament treaty with someone? Anyone?

2. How about scaling down the US nuclear arsenal?

3. How about scaling back the US military budget instead of increasing it? We spend more than every other nation on earth combined, and Obama is following the tradition of increasing this amount every year.

4. It is a bit ironic to get a Nobel Peace Prize while escalating one war and continuing another. Where is the peace there?

5. How about squashing the persistent talk that the US is going to get into hostilities with Iran over Iran's nuclear program. Is a peace prize deserved while there is constant talk about starting a war on a third front? According to Scott Ritter Iran has always been in compliance with international agreements, and he would know. It is the US, he has said, that violated the international agreement with Iran.

6. How about ending torture in US military and CIA prisons? We keep finding out from released prisoners that the torture and abuses never stopped, despite Obama's claims that they did. How can he deserve a Nobel Peace Prize when he is allowing and covering up for Torture? That is hypocritical in the extreme!

7. How about closing military and CIA prisons entirely? What lawful reason does the CIA have for running prisons anyway, and if they have a lawful reason then why can't it be done in the full light of day under the provisions of the Geneva Conventions? Having hidden prisons with hidden prisoners is not a sign of peace!

8. How about restoring full adherence to the Geneva Conventions, ending the farce of Military Tribunals, and using the normal court system with all the rules and protections of due process and the real rule of law? Railroading people in extra-judicial tribunals is not a sign of anyone promoting peace.

IF Obama manages to accomplish any of his stated goals then he might deserve the Nobel Peace Prize at some point, but this is very premature right now. For all the reasons stated above, and probably more I missed, he does not deserve a Nobel Peace Prize yet. He is not a paragon of peace, nor has he made any effort to be. They are basically rewarding him for just not being Bush, and for restoring normal relations with our allies.

[JCMach1]

20. Nice summary of what I was thinking when I heard about it...

Not to mention what he will do with this politically...?

There are two possibilities there:

It will free him to do what is necessary... or

It will box him in...

While I read the committee's rationale, I still wonder what they were smoking...



Let's just hope Obama can turn this into a positive, not a political liability.

[ChimpersMcSmirkers]

19. To all the haters and fail junkies on this thread: You suck.

That is all.

[boomerbust]

21. You got it.

Another prize taken away from Hillary. Poor PUMAS.

[Curtland1015]

22. "Planning possible"

See what you did there?

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

24. His response to the calls for escalation will determine whether he deserves it. K&R

[truedelphi]

26. + 1. n/t

[Rude Dog]

27. Garbage.

Unrec'd for ignorance.

[spanone]

28. perhaps it will help shape his policy. Obama did not get us into this war.

[librechik]

29. A Word to the Wise--and that word is PEACE

remember it--do something about it.

[earth mom]

30. It's official-War is Peace.

Wonder what they think about that notion in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Pakistan?

[yeswecanandwedid]

31. word is born. nt

[11 Bravo]

32. You're in good company. Limbaugh, Hannity, Beck, Malkin, Coulter, Steele, Goldberg ...

the RNC, Hamas, Hezbollah, the Taliban, and a few others whom I can't recall right now are also upset that my president has beeen awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

[Sultana]

35. Nice try but FAIL!

Read the committees statement.

Obama received the honor becuz he has engaged the world (unlike * and other American Presidents). Also, his dedication to nuclear proliferation also tip the prize in his favor.

[Name removed]

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