Barack Obama Wins the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize 1721
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kdawson
from the taliban-not-happy dept.
from the taliban-not-happy dept.
Barack Obama has just been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. The BBC opines: "In awarding President Obama the Nobel Peace Prize, the Norwegian committee is honoring his intentions more than his achievements. After all he has been in office only just over eight months and he will presumably hope to serve eight years, so it is very early in his term to get this award. ... The committee does not make any secret of its approach. It states that he is being given the prize 'for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and co-operation between peoples.' This is of course an implied criticism of former US president George W Bush and the neo-conservatives, who were often accused of trying to change the world in their image." The Washington Post collects more reactions from around the world.
Waitaminute. Didn't we just bomb (Score:5, Funny)
the moon? How is that peaceful? The Raelians are going to be pissed!
Oh well, on the bright side, I can now say that my President is a Man of Peace like Henry Kissinger, Yasser Arafat, and Teddy Roosevelt.
strange (Score:5, Funny)
http://app.sgizmo.com/chart/189342-LC02FT150W995AC4HSAOQWU8WZACL1&crt=4&rspid=46741811 [sgizmo.com]
seem just a little odd? its from the washington post poll about Obama deserving the nobel prize.
Re:For what? (Score:5, Funny)
> Seriously, what on earth has he done to win such a prize?
He has delivered some very good speeches, you insensitive clod!
Hillary? (Score:5, Funny)
Wait, isn't the Secretary of State responsible for US foreign policy?
Hillary Clinton screwed again!
For happiness and rainbows, that's what (Score:5, Funny)
Seriously, what on earth has he done to win such a prize? He has brokered no treaties, he has resolved no conflicts, he hasn't even particularly changed foreign policy with Iraq and Afghanistan. Even the crown jewel of his agenda, closing Gitmo. Having gotten into office he's discovered the world is more complicated that a sound bite for a political stage allows.
But...but...he's a really nice guy. And he gives great speeches. And when he's making a point, he uses this fantastic faraway gaze and extremely compelling hand gestures. You can't teach that.
You say Obama doesn't deserve the Prize after 8 months in office and no major accomplishments? Foo, I say! I have personally seen him give more kittens and rainbows to the needy than any world leader. When his talks with other world leaders break down, at least those leaders go away thinking 'Wow, that man has a fantastic handshake. That may be the best handshake I've ever experienced'. And you know, maybe years down the line, they'll be more likely to roll over for us thanks to that handshake.
Really, I think it's great that the Nobel committee is now awarding prizes for trying a little bit for a little while. Sort of reflects the reduced standards in our schools where kids get diplomas for sitting in a room and learning nothing for 12 years. This gives little Johnny hope that he doesn't really need to accomplish anything in life, but that if he at least tries a little for 8 months, he can achieve his dream of an increasingly watered-down prize.
Thank you, Nobel Committee. You give hope to the mediocre everywhere.
bullshit (Score:5, Funny)
Re:strange (Score:3, Funny)
Re:personally (Score:5, Funny)
Hey, I just won a Nobel Peace Prize too! Says something about my "continued work to end the crisis in Sudan." Don't remember ever going to Sudan.
Then again, I didn't know they were packaging these things in cracker-jack boxes...
I'd call this more than jumped (Score:1, Funny)
They have orbited a big old satellite of fail over the shark tank.
Re:Lowering of standards? (Score:5, Funny)
I remember when the Nobel Prize used to mean something, when people won it many years after tremendous accomplishments. It was so exclusive that the best of the best never knew if they would ever receive it.
I feel the same about epic gear in WoW.
Re:Lowering of standards? (Score:2, Funny)
Next year Myth Buster get the nobel prize (Score:4, Funny)
That word, peace (Score:3, Funny)
Re:personally (Score:5, Funny)
Einstein didn't even have Power Point, but that's essentially what he did too.
If we're going to start characterizing accomplishments dishonestly but with complete accuracy, Einstein won his Nobel for making little black ink marks on little pieces of white paper. I mean, really, my dog does that kind of shit.
Re:Hillary? (Score:4, Funny)
Someone prep the Secret Service... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:I think he may possibly deserver the prize (Score:2, Funny)
You'll recall he was a senator for three terms before becoming president, and was the only senator to vote against the Iraq war.
Re:personally (Score:1, Funny)
Re:I think he may possibly deserver the prize (Score:1, Funny)
From what I understand, Barack Obama is personally responsible for the recent push to increase nuclear disarmament.
A quick check of wikipedia notes nominations for the Nobel Prize must be entered by Feb 3 to be considered.
Let's all just agree that he got the award for not being Bush for 3 weeks.
Re:personally (Score:4, Funny)
Hey, I just won a Nobel Peace Prize too! Says something about my "continued work to end the crisis in Sudan." Don't remember ever going to Sudan.
Then again, I didn't know they were packaging these things in cracker-jack boxes...
actually, this might make the Nobel Peace Prize harder to come by in the future, if the committee's standards get so low it awards itself the prize on account of promoting peace by awarding the Nobel Peace Prize.
Re:A little premature? (Score:4, Funny)
A lot premature. Barack has accomplished very little in terms of peace. They could have just waited 10 years and then give him a prize if he really did anything good. They've been giving many of these prizes years after the actual achievements, so what's the rush?
I'm actually shocked that this was not given out in October of 2012, a month before the next presidential election. I guess he'll get the newly formed Nobel Prize for Awesomeness then. (They'll probably call it the Prize for Obamaness after that)
Re:personally (Score:5, Funny)
Hello! I am from the NOBEL PEACE PRIZE committee and am informing you that you have won the NOBEL PEACE PRIZE! To collect your award and prize money, please reply with your name, address, phone number, social security number, date of birth, unladen swallow weight, mother's maiden name, bank account numbers, passwords to your online banking accounts, current bank balance, Slashdot account information, social networking username and passwords, and your e-mail addresses and passwords. We look forward to giving you what you deserve!
Re:Al Gore = Einstein? (Score:1, Funny)
You realize he didn't win a science award right? He'd spent years, during his career as a politician and after trying to champion awareness of global climate change issues. That's what the award was for.
Re:personally (Score:3, Funny)
Wow, the world's atmospheric scientists need to hop to it and answer this stunningly deep and insightful question of yours right now! After all, that's their job: to slavishly answer to the simplistic demands of utterly unqualified riff-raff.
Re:personally (Score:3, Funny)
I also got an e-mail about this early this morning ...
(URGENT BUSINESS ASSISTANCE STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL)
COMPLIMENTS OF THE SEASON
Good Day to you sir. I am the manager of Nobel committee (NORWEGIAN NOBEL COMMITTEE). I am writing you this letter to ask for your support and co-operation to carry out this transaction. We have placed the Nobel Peace Prize in a safe deposit box belonging to one of our foreign recipients who died alongside his entire family in march this year in a terrorist train bomb blast in Oslo some few months ago. Since this development,we have advertised for his next of kin or any close relation to come forward to claim this prize, but nobody came yet to apply for the claim.
To this effect,i and other official in my department have decided to look for a trusted foreign partner who can stand in as the next of kin of the deceased as we cannot do it only ourselves and claim this money. We need a foreign partner who is a foreign head of state or other dignitary to apply for the prize on our behalf because of the fact that the recipientwas a foreign and we don't want this prize to go into the treasury as unclaimed fund.
Every document to effect this process will emanate from my table and i will perfect every document to be in accordance with the prize award law and guideline,so you have nothing to worry about and we have agreed that 30% of this money will be for you,while 10%will be for any expenses uncured on both sides while 60% will be for my colleagues and me. If you are willing to help us, please indicate by replying this letter and putting in your name, private telephone number,fax and permanent residential address via my private email address below.I awaits your immediate response to enable us start this transaction as soon as i recieved your reply,i will send you a text application form for immediate APPLICATIION OF CLAIM.
Please contact me even if you are not interested in my prposal to you to enable us scout for another partner in the event of non-interest on your part. Thanks for your co-operation
Thorbjørn Jagland, Den norske Nobelkomité