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Barack Obama has won the Nobel Peace Prize!!!!!!
Tough break for all those who bloviated he was rejected internationally over Olympics!
HOLY SMOKES!!!
HOLY SMOKES!!!
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Wonder if they have awakened him? WOW!
October 9, 2009 5:16 AM | Reply | Permalink
It happened beginning 4 am New York time just 27 minutes ago.
Guess this means no Larry King rebroadcast here in Europe. U.S. hate broadcasting has a few hours to scramble into gear and spew racism and sedition in this context.
First announced in Norwegian to audible gasps and wows from the audience...
October 9, 2009 5:27 AM | Reply | Permalink
http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/2009/
October 9, 2009 5:54 AM | Reply | Permalink
It has a nice look to it; thanks for posting. He's probably still asleep! Should go down pretty well over breakfast!
October 9, 2009 6:07 AM | Reply | Permalink
No, OT. He's not asleep! He's already gotten the Magic Call:
October 9, 2009 6:20 AM | Reply | Permalink
Hey, that's a very cool site, Shelley!
Thanks for this! Minutes before the announcement would have been around 3:30 am Eastern or a little after. Gives new meaning to Hillary's campaign riff about the 3 am phone call! If true, he got the call alright, but it was about a different subject! I suppose the White House switchboard and night staff faced a decision as to whether to roust the new Laureate!
October 9, 2009 6:56 AM | Reply | Permalink
I wonder what was the first thought Obama had when he heard the knock on the door. I would imagine he wondered, "Oh, that can't be good!" I'm usre he was beyond happy to hear otherwise.
October 9, 2009 3:44 PM | Reply | Permalink
BIG GRIN!
October 9, 2009 7:37 AM | Reply | Permalink
Glad to see your beak curve up at the edges, cheeken!
October 9, 2009 7:53 AM | Reply | Permalink
I never thought about it until now, but if the Nobel Comittee had asked me, why of COURSE I would have picked our President as the Peace Prize Laureate- who effing ELSE!!
October 9, 2009 8:02 AM | Reply | Permalink
Good! Yes!!
:)
October 9, 2009 10:46 AM | Reply | Permalink
What exactly has he done in his 9 months as President to win the prize? Or was it his 2 years as a Senator?
Just like David Axelrod, I am stunned.
October 9, 2009 8:34 AM | Reply | Permalink
Just like him, I am sure.
October 9, 2009 3:45 PM | Reply | Permalink
I'm a little stunned, too.
It certainly seems to be a bit political, non?
And a BIG snub to Bushco!!! Whoa!
October 9, 2009 9:05 AM | Reply | Permalink
Of course it is a bit political. It has always been a bit political. It has always been meant to be political. The politics far more frequently is based on the aspirations and efforts, and less on measured outcomes. Poverty hasn't ended in India, The junta still rules Myanmar.
Here's what the Nobel Committee is Celebrating:
(I quote the whole announcement on my blog)I'm celebrating those aspirations with them, and hoping that the recognition lines people of good will behind the effort, pushing as hard as they can.
October 9, 2009 9:39 AM | Reply | Permalink
Well OT...I do not see this as much as a kudos to the pres. Since there is/was not much he has done to warrant it. More of an international stick into the eyes of the republicans.
C
October 9, 2009 9:47 AM | Reply | Permalink
I think it's hilarious - not at all a stick in the eye.
October 9, 2009 9:49 AM | Reply | Permalink
Name one republican that ever won a prize for anything except maybe stupidity and arrogance.
C
October 9, 2009 9:57 AM | Reply | Permalink
Ha ha ha. I don't view it as a competition nor am I "keeping score". I agree with you that he's done little in his 9 months as President to warrant the award.
October 9, 2009 10:09 AM | Reply | Permalink
Teddy Roosevelt won the Nobel Peace prize for his part in ending the Russo- Japanese war in 1906. So, granted, it has been a long while.
October 9, 2009 11:02 AM | Reply | Permalink
Of course you think it's hilarious! By your own words, you think somebody took the United States of America away from you by winning by your candidate have lost a contested, democratic election by a large margin.
In other words, you are not only a sore loser but an irresponsible extremist and a seditionist. You do not support democratic order under the Constitution. See, "treason." You believe the country has been spirited away from you and you may suffer from further delirium, such as believing in Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny. The question to us is, why should we care about your "hilarity" and delusions, if we do?
And the answer? We don't.
October 9, 2009 11:25 AM | Reply | Permalink
OT I would not say seditionist. Sadist maybe or sado-masochist. Anyone who would support the republican agenda must get some sort of psychotic pleasure from self inflected pain.
C
October 9, 2009 12:15 PM | Reply | Permalink
To me, "I want my country back," submitted and defended by the subject commenter, and not retreated from given the chance, crosses the sedition line.
I respect other views, Sir.
October 9, 2009 1:15 PM | Reply | Permalink
You're right - I am all of those nasty things you say just because I am one of many who were surprised that Obama received the award after 9 months in office and very little (if any) tangible accomplishments on the peace front.
Peace to you too.
October 9, 2009 12:51 PM | Reply | Permalink
Good God, you didn't say you you were *surprised!*
You said "it's hilarious." That the American President won the Nobel. So well there, that's more anti-Americanism from you. "It's hilarious." What a fine how-do-you-do.
Don't dissemble and don't backtrack to please us. Tell it to the anti-intellectuals on RedState.com why dontcha? Get together with them on how you're all going to secede to protect the Constitution.
October 9, 2009 1:33 PM | Reply | Permalink
I've said both. Yes I think it's hilarious, not a "stick-in-the-eye" as cmaukonen described it.
It's not anti-American to think it's funny he was awarded the Nobel peace prize (ie he doesn't deserve it). It's also not anti-American to disagree with someone else's views, whether that's your neighbor or the President.
October 9, 2009 1:53 PM | Reply | Permalink
If you and your sorry ilk had displayed even a shred of this position when Bush was in office, we might think about taking what you say seriously.
You didn't. And we don't.
October 9, 2009 2:29 PM | Reply | Permalink
I didn't? Please prove it.
October 9, 2009 3:24 PM | Reply | Permalink
Actually, it's not even anti-American to be anti-American.
October 9, 2009 4:01 PM | Reply | Permalink
Sure - you and the rest of your fascistic dittohead thug crowd never said dissent with Bush was "un-American"? And next you'll be telling me you have a bridge in Brooklyn I'm interested in, right?
October 9, 2009 4:05 PM | Reply | Permalink
I never did. So unless you have some proof that I did say what you accuse me of, please stop stereotyping all people that disagree with you into one big bucket.
October 9, 2009 4:09 PM | Reply | Permalink
While I am not willing to spend even five seconds digging through your archives, loathsome mess that they most certainly are, I do recall you having plenty to say all along about dissent under your pathetic leader, Bush-boy.
And as for a bucket, if it's full of urine, I'll be only too glad to throw you in there, and clamp on a tight lid. And it's a favor I'd be doing you at that.
October 9, 2009 5:24 PM | Reply | Permalink
So typical - you just bitch and stereotype. I've never accused anyone of being "Anti-American". If you don't take me seriously, then why do you bother responding?
October 9, 2009 9:17 PM | Reply | Permalink
It's not anti-Americanism, it's anti-Obamunism. I think it is hilarious because you kool-aid drinkers can't see what is happening to our country. Boy are you going to be surprised when you get what you are wishing for. I can just picture the Nobel Prize committee having the following conversation:
"Hey, can you believe Obama went all the way over to Copenhagen and got slapped down on his Olympics bid?"
"Yeah, it kind of makes those U.S. imperialists look bad doesn't it?"
"Not as bad as they will look if we give him the Nobel Peace prize for doing nothing."
"Oh, man, you are sick! Let's do it. Hardee-har-har!"
October 9, 2009 3:52 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yeah, yuck it up. And you are one sick fuck, don't let nobody tell you different.
October 9, 2009 7:40 PM | Reply | Permalink
That we regained international respect?
=D
Yeah, we see that. I suppose it really burns your bottom. I think they sell creams for that.
October 9, 2009 8:37 PM | Reply | Permalink
Is it a stick in the eyes of republicans or recognition of an honest committment to peace? Understandably it can be a bit of both. Which notion affords the greater impetus I guess is the question that will be heard all day long and probably for several days.
I find I like this particular selection. Granted Obama may not have accomplished so much at this point. However, the selection is an expression of a world where there is a firm understanding it's better to solve disagreements through negotiation than armed conflict. Internationally, people really and truly want peace. They may not know how to obtain it but they see in Obama a leader who is committed to it.
This will undoubtedly be a split decision between republicans and democrats. However, the rest of the world will have spoken in clear terms that won't be easy for republicans to dismiss. They will of course, but it will make tham look dumber still than they've already made themselves appear.
I'm taking bets on which republicans will make the dumbest comments. There are several who are odds on favorites to lead the idiot onslaught. We all know who they are.
October 9, 2009 10:42 AM | Reply | Permalink
I don't agree, and in particular, ending the insane NATO expansion into USSR/Russian Empire territory and the masturbatory missile provocation in Eastern Europe are very big things. MSM is going crazy trying to agree with you by the way, though, but nonetheless whereas I respect you always, I do not respect them. Nobel also said that he is reaching out internationally in ways which people don't remember.
And I've listened to their reasoning and it's partly hortatory, and that doesn't take away from the value of it. IMHO.
October 9, 2009 11:12 AM | Reply | Permalink
Maybe we should just leave the Republicans out of this. I mean, it is not due to any action of the GOP that Obama won the award, but solely due to his efforts to turn away from the path the GOP had taken. They are not on this path. They do not wish to be on this path, and yet we bring up their name. This is not about them. This is about our country, our President, the country and President they would deny. To hear their name is to pollute the air of peace that has developed. It disturbs the peace if you will. Let there be peace. The GOP has no intention, stated or implied, to bring about peace. Fine, they may remain in whatever misery they wish. Bringing them to this celebration only makes them more upset. So let's not. They have no intention of making this a Grand Old Party anyway.
October 9, 2009 3:53 PM | Reply | Permalink
The president's accomplishments in nuclear disarmament have been totally unrecognized by both sides of the ideological divide, by the right because they oppose disarmament and by the left who have failed to take note of the historical importance of the significant progress, brought about by President Obama's efforts.
October 9, 2009 10:12 AM | Reply | Permalink
The Nobel group was definitely moved by his commitment to disarmament, yes, no doubt.
Also I blogged in the cafe that these key points figured in:
"1. His *applied* worldwide commitment to joint action through genuine diplomacy.
2. Pouring cold water on the hyper-aggressive provocation of expanding NATO into ex-USSR territory.
3. Canceling the insane nostalgia of installing Cold War missiles in Czech Republic and Poland."
Another commenter (JRBehrman) added,
"I would add cancellation of the F-22. That ends 70 years of investment in strategic bombing." I don't know if Nobelers get that deep into the weeds, though.
October 9, 2009 11:03 AM | Reply | Permalink
Is the nuclear disarmament agreement Nobel-prize worthy? Perhaps not in and of itself, but it is one significant example of the important change in course that the Norwegian Parliament is recognizing.
October 9, 2009 12:40 PM | Reply | Permalink
Well, it's tough to be more simpleminded about it than that! You win!
October 9, 2009 10:38 AM | Reply | Permalink
I don't get it, but whether you are mocking me or agreeing with me, it's a funny comment either way! :)
October 9, 2009 10:49 AM | Reply | Permalink
I am very happy for my country.
I am very proud of my President.
We have a long way to go - a very long way. What this shows, though, is that we are definitely on the right track, and it is being recognized - at least in the reality-based parts of the world.
We will still be years getting out of the seemingly bottomless pit of messes Bush and Cheney got us into, and it's not going to be easy. We will get out. We have stopped digging (always a bad way to get out of a hole) and begun climbing.
And the naysayers and chronic complainers out there will just have to deal with it. How many more serious-minded people lining up against them will it take to persuade them to consider that they may just be wrong? (Note: Rhetorical - they are, for the most part, like Michael Steele and our own No Class Whatsoever Bill, immune to truth, let alone persuasion.)
October 9, 2009 12:03 PM | Reply | Permalink
That's right, you Old Grouch.
Don't look now, but despite all your proper caveats, it's a pretty good day to be an American!
October 9, 2009 12:40 PM | Reply | Permalink
Oh, yes, it is. It is. And we are going to see improvement, slowly, more than likely in fits and starts (spits and farts?), over the next few years.
We're on the right track, finally. It's like turning a supertanker - it isn't accomplished in thirty seconds.
October 9, 2009 12:47 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yep. Quite right.
October 9, 2009 1:16 PM | Reply | Permalink
I composeed this as a reply on another thread and didn't post it but now I will just to demonstrate how great minds think alike. :-]
America is a country that we love and defend but we also try to affect its direction when we see it going wrong. It has been going horribly and disastrously wrong in its foreign policy for a long time. Turning around the big mutha of a war machine that is such a significant part of this country is no small feat and one that very few individuals ever have a chance to do. Obama has done enough in that direction, although there is so much left to do in the future, to merit the prize. It is, after all, much more significant than if the leader of, say, Lithuania completely reversed a policy of their country that was inspired by hubris and ignorance. Turning a skiff is much easier and can be done much quicker than turning a super tanker, our ship of state, when a dangerous reef is seen ahead, but turning the tanker is much more important for all concerned, and the "all" which in this case is concerned is the whole world.
Any recognition and/or encouragement that the international community chooses to give Obama for even small changes in the right direction are alright with me.
October 9, 2009 3:08 PM | Reply | Permalink
Actually, Grouch, many progressives aren't happy about it as well. If you bothered to peruse the Internet you'd see that.
In your warped logic, two wrongs make a right. Hence you are a pundit head no different than Rush Limbaugh. You are not interesting to listen to because we always know apriori what you will say!
TR gets is in 1906 for Negotiating a treaty.
Wilson gets it in 1919 for the League of Nations. Something accomplished.
What, pray tell, did Obama get it for? It's like a lifetime achievement award before he lived his life!
Remember, that many here at TPM excuse the state of the immediately present economy because Obama can't turn things around on a dime domestrically. (Which is true!) However, similar logic dictates that he has yet to have a significant impact on the international scene in a substantial way. (Yes, he is a breath of fresh air, but part of that is simply because Bush is gone.)
It takes a wise man to recognize the big picture devoid of reptilian brain reactions.
I believe Obama really won the prize for being elected. That also fits into the debating timeline quite well.
October 9, 2009 5:54 PM | Reply | Permalink
Jughead on Mornin Joke did not like this at all. But Joe Scarborough was also REALLY pissed when Kruger won it. hahahhaha
Can you imagine Bush or Cheney receiving a Nobel Peace Prize?
October 9, 2009 12:14 PM | Reply | Permalink
Only when on a very bad acid trip DD.
C
October 9, 2009 12:17 PM | Reply | Permalink
Hey, was Rumsfeld even nominated?
NO?!
How unfair is that, eh?
October 9, 2009 12:32 PM | Reply | Permalink
No, but then I couldn't imagine Kissinger winning it either. That said, I think the choice this time is justified and I am happy that Obama got the prize. It would be much more significant and a wonderful thing if he could get it again next year.
October 9, 2009 12:39 PM | Reply | Permalink
Ha-hah! That's the spirit!! =D
October 9, 2009 12:42 PM | Reply | Permalink
Meant as a reply to dickday's questin above.
October 9, 2009 12:43 PM | Reply | Permalink
Ah, but he'll find out in his own way, Lulu!
He's a smart one that Dick Day! Cagey maybe, but I've always had him marked down as clever!
October 9, 2009 12:55 PM | Reply | Permalink
Ig Nobel, perhaps...
October 9, 2009 1:20 PM | Reply | Permalink
It's the Wizard of Ig!
October 9, 2009 1:25 PM | Reply | Permalink
The knee jerk reaction from the right was totally expected (just look at their hand rubbing once Obama didn't get the Olympics).
What's equally predictable is the knee jerk reaction of the those on the left who are equally as dimwitted in this blindly partisan views.
A quick view of the Internet shows, however, that some progressives are dismayed by this choice. This is a good sign. It's unfortunate we don't see more of that type of clear thinking in many of the comments here, but that's par for the course.
The fact is that this prize is a mixed blessing at best for Obama. The pressures of it are tremendously high. In fact, it is *great* for the US in negotiations internationally (which is why the DNC statement to the GOP is truly justified) but it also forces Obama to move harder and faster and by past behavior that's not his style.
The prize was not awarded properly this year, but no one in America should be upset with the award because it benefits our country greatly.
As usual, both extremes get it all wrong.
October 9, 2009 3:57 PM | Reply | Permalink
Who are you or any one to say that the award was awarded properly? Is it your award? Did you come up with the criteria?
It's five Norwegians sitting around making a decision. They felt he deserved it. You can disregard their reasoning, or you can see the validity in it. It's not like their is a supreme carved in stone rationale for who should get it. It's like what film is the best of the year, really. It is a subjective decision in the end.
And the award does carry some weight, but a week from now (or tomorrow) it not going to mean much one way or another. And Obama knows this.
October 9, 2009 6:06 PM | Reply | Permalink
Then Henry Kissinger deserved his just as much.
If you go by the criteria of nominating, Obama would have had to been nominated within a few weeks of being elected. As I comment above, this is the real reason, I believe he got the prize.
Most importantly, I find it interesting that many on TPM are beginning over the past few weeks to comment on their disappointment with Obama -- that we haven't gotten the "change" we voted for.
This prize will distract us from that actuality for a few more weeks... until the holiday season. And then we will be one full year from the inauguration and that's a good time to check score cards.
Right now, people have commented we need to give the President more time. That implies he hasn't been in office enough to do anything substantial yet. And this is true. That's why he didn't deserve this prize.
And he knows that as well.
October 9, 2009 6:15 PM | Reply | Permalink
Obama being nominated 11 days into his presidency and receiving this award at so early in his career cancels out the value of the prize. Obama probably knows this too.
Anyone who wishes to reply to this post in a snarky way or call me a troll needs to tell me what Obama has done to deserve this prize and then compare that with the deeds of Lech Walesa and the Dalai Lama. Then go ahead and flame away.
October 9, 2009 6:41 PM | Reply | Permalink
I really wish the Committee had waited until next year at the earliest. I truly believe this is a situation of the prize being used to force Obama to be aggressive about his policies in the Middle East. There were better ways of accomplishing that.
The prize is premature and puts additional pressure on Obama to be "worthy" of it. That kind of pressure is where mistakes are made.
None of this disses Obama, of course, but I'm sure many who have posted will decide that this comment is anti-Obama. They seem to treat politics as local football -- my team vs yours.
Geopolitics is not a game to be taken lightly.
October 9, 2009 6:56 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yes, makes one wonder if they may have some kind of ulterior motive up their sleeve(s).
October 9, 2009 7:07 PM | Reply | Permalink
As amike talks above, of course they did! It's just specifically what the motive was.
Usually the prize is for recognition of work and giving it a boost and a stamp of approval, so it can be expanding. The problem with Obama is that his body of work is still very, very small:
He was elected to the Senate in 2004, had about 2 years (sort of) of experience there before campaigning for President. He then is in the White House less than 1 year before winning the Nobel Prize.
It's very difficult to say anyone really knows his views on anything as his life has been a serious whirlwind with steps being climbed before the lessons were learned from lower rungs.
October 9, 2009 7:15 PM | Reply | Permalink
"Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!"
— L. Frank Baum (The Wonderful Wizard of Oz)
October 9, 2009 7:21 PM | Reply | Permalink
Hey, until today I didn't think there was a woman in the world who could hit it off with Clearthinker, and here you are; two peas in a pod! I hope you don't want children, TRCT -- it will never work out between you two if you do.
Good luck - you certainly deserve each other!
October 9, 2009 7:47 PM | Reply | Permalink
Did either of you fucking read what the Nobel Committee said? They described their "ulterior motive" eloquently, and Obama echoed it lucidly in his gracious acceptance.
But you were too busy with cockamamie conspiracy theories to read what was already plainly told to you, is that it?
October 9, 2009 7:51 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yes, and none of their citation had anything to do with an accomplishment that Obama did prior to February.
Believe me, this is a tool for Obama to push his agenda and that's great. But don't confuse that with actually standing out among other recipients of the prize.
October 9, 2009 8:02 PM | Reply | Permalink
That would require actual effort. Neither of these commenters has shown that they are interested in reading anything other than that which backs up their own limited thinking. Certainly sourse documents are beyond them.
(shrug)
Keep in mind, their temper tantrums hardly merit any response, OT, you may as well be arguing with a kitchen table. They have as much depth as one. I'd avoid doing so in the future. Like naughty children, they are here to provoke, not to discuss.
Waste of time.
One thing that is obvious is that it is always easy to criticize, and tear down. Building up takes effort, intelligence, and a willingness to learn. Perhaps these are qualities the Nobel comittee sees, even if here in America it appears a bit differently. Perspective can be a good thing. I don't have much respect for those who are always tearing down. Not only does it require no effort, but it is lazy.
Laziness isn't admirable.
Frankly, it's more than laziness; it's sour grapes, poor sportsmanship, and ignorance all tied up in one bundle. Damn it! They have to be right, because they say so, like any 2-year-old emotional level adult. Pity there are so many, and that they feel empowered to spew their limited, emotional, knee-jerk, selfish, thought. This is a legacy that Bush left, but this prize helps to belie it. That attitude is certainly tiresome. Normal, intelligent beings question things that are surprising, and try to learn from it. These that can't or won't do not, because they have stopped growing intellectually and emotionally. Pity them, and move on.
I was surprised myself, and delighted, and tried to see this from the point of view of the Nobel committee. That our president has impressed them so is an accomplishment we can all be proud of. Going forward, we can try to understand his vision and help him to make the world a bit smaller, a bit better, and a bit less ignorant.
We have enough to do here, obviously, but it helps that Obama has healed our relations with the world so much in such a short time. I didn't think he could. This is a very good day.
=D
October 9, 2009 8:18 PM | Reply | Permalink
Pay it no heed. It is dumb as a post.
A nomination does not equal the award. The significance of meeting with Iran, ending missile defense in Poland and the Czech Republic, putting actual pressure on Israel, beginning withdrawal from Iraq, commiting to nuclear disarmament, and transforming the nation's approach to climate and ecology.
He was nominated early, but has won on merit. Clearthinker is just a douchebag charlatan wanker nobody without an opinion that doesn't mimic David Fucking Brooks.
Don't these idiots think that 8 months from nomination to selection is plenty of time to deliberate? Or is Norway in on the fix?
Morons. A pox on their houses.
October 10, 2009 1:14 AM | Reply | Permalink
Yez, as the world isn't at peace, nor ever has been, (excepting Pax Romana--maybe) we should revoke every peace prize ever given.
A pox on the peace prize until there is actual peace!
Damn it!
To the letter! Peace!
October 10, 2009 1:18 AM | Reply | Permalink
Ever since The Nobel Peace Prize was bestowed upon that great peace-loving maggot, Yasir Araafat, the prize has become an international joke. So, as far as I am concerned, our affirmative action president is welcome to this hollow trinket from an effete homogenous european country.
October 9, 2009 7:16 PM | Reply | Permalink
Norway effete? You've never been there, apparently.
October 9, 2009 10:34 PM | Reply | Permalink
Thanks for reminding us that were it not for affirmative action, this incredibly capable and talented man would have been relegated to a second rate school and the back of the bus. I am so proud we overcame bigotry to give minorites the opportunity to excel and he really has. Thank God we put an end to the asinine policies that would have prevented us from knowing how much he has to offer before ever giving him a chance.
October 10, 2009 1:45 AM | Reply | Permalink
You sound absolutely jealous! (and also like a 14 year-old who has never been 10 miles from home)
Sonny-boy, you have much to learn. You should travel, and even read a book or two. Come back once you have educated yourself, but not before. Thanks.
October 10, 2009 4:43 PM | Reply | Permalink
I understand that the Nobel Prize was a consolation award for losing the Olympics to Brazil, but the Pope may be planning on upping the ante: http://ivcaffeine.com/2009/10/09/special-edition-shocker-pope-canonizes-barack-obama/
October 9, 2009 7:23 PM | Reply | Permalink