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| Obama's award will immunize him from criticism like Tutu: Truthout | ||
| 2009-10-10 | ||
| The Norwegian Nobel Committee has awarded the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize to President Obama. Some initial commentary has called the award unprecedented and wondered why the committee would give President Obama the award when he "hasn't done anything yet." But anyone who thinks this award is unprecedented hasn't been paying attention. The Nobel Committee gave South African Bishop Desmond Tutu the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984 for his leadership efforts to abolish apartheid in South Africa. Apartheid wasn't fully abolished in South Africa until 1994. The committee could have waited until after apartheid was abolished to say, "Well done!" But the point of the award was to help bring down apartheid by strengthening Bishop Tutu's efforts. In particular, everyone knew that it was going to be much harder for the apartheid regime to crack down on Tutu after the Nobel Committee wrapped him in its protective cloak of world praise. So you're REALLY a racist if you criticize Obama now. World praise sure didn't stop the Soviet government from totally screwing over Andrei Sakharov Kept the Rooskies from killing him ... That's what the Nobel Committee is trying to do for Obama now. It's giving an award to encourage the change in world relations that Obama has promised, and to try to help shield Obama against his domestic adversaries. The committee is well aware that history is contingent and that Obama might fail. It knows very well that the same country that elected Obama also gave the world George W. Bush and Ronald Reagan. That's pretty much what I figured, a naked power play. I appreciate the honesty, though. The initial steps that Obama has taken are already under fierce attack. Under Bush, this was called 'dissent'. Attack from the press? No. Attacks from television news? Nope. Attacks from conservatives, yew betcha, and if Bob, here, thinks the Nobel Peace prize will blunt criticism from conservatives, he ain't paying attention. The Obama administration has now recognized that the Afghan Taliban are not a threat to the United States and that the United States can live with the Afghan Taliban playing a role in the government of Afghanistan. But right-wing forces in the military, Congress, think tanks and the media are denouncing these moves toward sanity as surrender. They want a full-out Vietnam against the Taliban. Not sure what this has to do with the NPP. It means if you leave the battlefield to an armed and hostile enemy more than willing to do harm to your allies, it is, by definition, surrender, and one hundred Nobel Peace prizes each and every year the for next 100 years will not change that dynamic.
The Obama administration has begun its promised diplomatic engagement with Iran. Of course, as every honest person knew, real engagement meant de-emphasizing the unachievable demand that Iran end its enrichment of uranium and instead focusing on achievable demands like opening Iranian enrichment facilities more fully to UN inspections and greater international oversight over the enriched uranium that Iran has already produced. Here also, the "endless war" right-wing is trying to undermine Obama. Our way of thinking is the only way of thinking that honest people follow. Remember, dissent is racism. In giving this award, the Nobel Committee is telling these right-wing forces to back off. And it's sending a message of encouragement to those Americans who put Obama in office: "Showing signs of significant improvement. Keep up the good work." Again, pretty much what I thought it was. The Peace Prize isn't about peace, it's just a "we really (really) like you" from the international transnationalist elite.
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| Posted by:gromky |
| #25 "Lionel Graviger9655: Fixed that for ya', Iblis. No charge. |
| Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2009-10-10 22:06 |
| #24 Hard to tell if our visitor is a cheerleader, a troll, or attempting in a tonedeaf way to be ironic. In any case, s/he certainly is repetitive. |
| Posted by: lotp 2009-10-10 21:43 |
| #23 Lionel Graviger9655: Save the preachin' for Sunday. |
| Posted by: Iblis 2009-10-10 20:43 |
| #22 lotp. Faces of boys, but fight like lions...1RLI. We saw this shit coming, maybe you heard. |
| Posted by: rhodesiafever 2009-10-10 18:44 |
| #21 I'm fond of 'pride' myself. As in 'a pride of Americans' or 'a pride of lions who roar'. |
| Posted by: lotp 2009-10-10 18:07 |
| #20 Today's educational tidbit: the word for a group of cats is "clowder", as in "a clowder of cats". |
| Posted by: Scooter McGruder 2009-10-10 17:42 |
| #19 Those don't matter, Pappy ... the Invisible Fence is already installed and he's well trained. |
| Posted by: lotp 2009-10-10 16:14 |
| #18 Congratulations to PRESIDENT OBAMA on his Nobel prize. The rest of the world world is realizing the enormous change possible now that the previous regime has been repudiated. This award is a vote of confidence and support for his efforts. So true, play4keeps. We in America have become increasingly aware of exactly what half of us voted into office. And not we alone; President Sarkozy of France has developed his own opinion, as have Prime Ministers Brown, Putin (or is he President these days? He keeps switching, and I just can't keep up), Merkel, Klaus, Netanyahu, Presidents Abbas, Karzai and Ahmadinejad, King Abdullah etc ibn Saud... of course our young president has been highly praised by Castro, Chavez, and Moammar Qadaffy called him "my son" while speaking at the UN... And so we can judge the worth of those who praise our awarded president, Obama. Lionel Graviger9655 dear, it is so kind of you to check in from Prince William County, VA, that haven of the great and the good, to share with us your innermost thoughts. Your job is not politically connected, I do most fervently hope. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2009-10-10 16:13 |
| #17 The only things missing are the ear tag and the radio collar. |
| Posted by: Pappy 2009-10-10 15:48 |
| #16 Nuke Oslo. Solve a lot of problems. Alert the king and his family first, though - they're not bad people. |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2009-10-10 15:48 |
| #15 Nobel Peace Affirmative Action Award... |
| Posted by: crazyhorse 2009-10-10 15:08 |
| #14 No Americans drive about as easly as a cat herd. ..except those who've sold their soul as LG has. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2009-10-10 15:08 |
| #13 They cannot drive us if we refuse to be cattle. No Americans drive about as easly as a cat herd. |
| Posted by: Redneck Jim 2009-10-10 15:01 |
| #12 Cool. Looks like the Obamanation is deploying cheerleaders today. GO PALIN!! |
| Posted by: badanov 2009-10-10 12:47 |
| #11 This is all part of "Change" the President of the United States of America Barack Hussein Obama promised you during the election of 2008. He has won the hearts and minds of the World. Rejoice ! Barack Hussein Obama is now a Nobel Prize winning, President of the United States of America ! All Americans should be PROUD of HIM ! Please do not bare the President ill will in one of his greatest hours. He has only been in office nine months, just think what he is capable of doing in the next 39 months ! You will all be amazed .... Rejoice ! |
| Posted by: Lionel Graviger9655 2009-10-10 11:39 |
| #10 They cannot drive us if we refuse to be cattle. |
| Posted by: lotp 2009-10-10 11:25 |
| #9 P2K right on the mark. |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2009-10-10 10:14 |
| #8 The only reason this has any impact is the latent europhilism that still nags America. Our forefathers either left or were thrown out of the place - for a reason. It is debased. It is a dead end. The number of graves of our great-grandfathers and grandfathers in Europe are monuments to the abject failure there. The problem we face is the worship by self appointed elite governing caste for it. It manifests itself in academia, the arts, and in the coastal metro areas. All of which are driving us into our own cul-de-sac of history. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2009-10-10 09:21 |
| #7 Oops, I meant "any more" of course. |
| Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2009-10-10 07:42 |
| #6 IMO, its good news. It won't make Obama adore himself anymore. And it won't make pro-Civilization forces (it's not just America's fight) oppose him any less. |
| Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2009-10-10 07:41 |
| #5 More evil than Nelson, his lovely wife Winnie. Something else in common with Barry I suppose eh? |
| Posted by: Besoeker in Duitsland 2009-10-10 03:35 |
| #4 The precedent is Nelson Mandela, who was a convicted terrorist, guilty of participating in making and setting bombs that killed several people. Which incidentally he has never denied. Its all part of the transnational Left's reality denial. Obama = Nonentity, who has achieved nothing, except to buy political office with money from murky sources becomes Obama = the saviour of the world |
| Posted by: phil_b 2009-10-10 02:37 |
| #3 Tutu, the original 'Liberation Theologist.' He and Barry are two peas in one pod. "Be nice to whites, they need you to rediscover their humanity.” Bishop Desmond Tutu |
| Posted by: Besoeker in Duitsland 2009-10-10 02:35 |
| #2 What it means is simple: the Nobel Committee wants to tie Bambi's hands. After all, a man who just won the peace prize can't launch drones against the Taliban. He can't put another 40K troops into Afghanistan. He can't keep troops in Iraq. It wouldn't be 'peaceful'. This is a ploy by the elitists and internationalists to influence our foreign policy, and not in a good way. |
| Posted by: Steve White 2009-10-10 00:18 |
| #1 Un-frickin believable. I'm speechless. |
| Posted by: anymouse 2009-10-10 00:14 |