Obama Picks Up His Nobel Prize

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Just over a week after announcing an increase in U.S. troop strength for the war in Afghanistan, President Barack Obama picked up his Nobel Peace Prize on Thursday.

Following the awards ceremony in Oslo, Norway, Obama's acceptance speech touched on war and security.

Addressing the issue that the award may have come prematurely, Obama acknowledged that compared with past recipients — including Nelson Mandela, Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and Albert Schweitzer — "my accomplishments are slight."

He also cited those who have been jailed in pursuit of justice, or those who work for humanitarian groups to relieve suffering.

"I cannot argue with those who find these men and women — some known, some obscure to all but those they help — to be far more deserving of this honour than I," Obama said.

He said the most profound issue over his receipt of the prize is that he is the commander-in-chief of the U.S. armed forces at a time his country is fighting two wars.

"And so I come here with an acute sense of the cost of armed conflict, filled with difficult questions about the relationship between war and peace and our effort to replace one with the other."

While he acknowledged he holds his current position of president thanks to the civil rights work of past prize-winner King, who championed non-violence, Obama said he cannot be guided by that example alone.

"I face the world as it is, and cannot stand idle in the face of threats to the American people," he said.

"For make no mistake: Evil does exist in the world. A non-violent movement could not have halted Hitler’s armies. Negotiations cannot convince al-Qaeda's leaders to lay down their arms. To say that force is sometimes necessary is not a call to cynicism; it is a recognition of history, the imperfections of man and the limits of reason."

Last week, Obama laid out his plan to send 30,000 more soldiers to Afghanistan. He also said he would begin withdrawing troops from the country in 18 months.

Protesters have seized on the fact Obama is getting the peace prize during wartime, and they are planning an anti-war demonstration. Posters with the image of the U.S. president and the word "Change?" are up around Oslo.

Obama's trip to Europe will be brief, as he is due back in Washington, D.C., by midday Friday.
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CBC News - World - Obama picks up Nobel Prize

I noticed that about 80% of the Canadians posting on this article shared my views... here are some of the comments I feel reflected mine quite well:

I once helped an old lady cross the street when I was a boy scout. There has got to be some Nobel prize for that.

Or is there a Nobel endurance prize that Tiger Woods could claim. He needs some good press these days.
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What a joke...if he had any class he would have refused the award when they first annouced it. Guess he saw it hanging in the family room over the fireplace and couldn't resist it....
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Bush wages war on Islamic extremism, he gets world-wide hatred. Obama does it, he gets a Nobel Prize. Something's wrong here.
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Finally someone got a Nobel Piece Prize for putting together a few PowerPoint presentations...
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Why do some people think this 'award' is the 'highest honour' there is on Earth?
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Welcome to the liberal world of thinking....
 
kokonut said:
Welcome to the liberal world of thinking....
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There's nothing wrong with being liberal. :) I'm liberal. There's something wrong with not thinking for yourself, however, and thinking that whatever Obama receives he deserves. He did not deserve this award and should have resisted it.
 
I find it funny that ideologies are labelled here... where there is nothing political about the Nobel peace prize.

This so-called "liberal," who actually voted for Conservatives every time since 2005, makes me wonder why he accepted the prize. Not my business, but eh, he did announce that he didn't deserve it earlier this year.
 
"Bush wages war on Islamic extremism, he gets world-wide hatred. Obama does it, he gets a Nobel Prize. Something's wrong here."

Wrong. It wasn't about the Islamic extremism that he was waging war on, it was a personal vendetta against Saddam on our expense.

Even to this day, Iraq is still a radical state, even more worse than ever. Christians are now no longer allowed to practice freely as they could under Saddam rule. They're being prosecuted.

http://www.danielpipes.org/2033/christians-disappearing-from-iraq
 
netrox said:
"Bush wages war on Islamic extremism, he gets world-wide hatred. Obama does it, he gets a Nobel Prize. Something's wrong here."

Wrong. It wasn't about the Islamic extremism that he was waging war on, it was a personal vendetta against Saddam on our expense.
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I am definitely not a Bush supporter and never was, but I feel I have to correct you. Bush went into Iraq to fight the War on Terror (the same reason why Obama wants more troops in Afghanistan), not because of a personal vendetta. There was absolutely no reason for him to go into Iraq since it was not a source of the terrorism, however his "reasoning" was because of the War on Terror. Just thought I'd clarrify. :)

PS: Just so you know, it wasn't my quote, but I did semi-agree with what the poster on CBC had said, which is the reason why I copied it here. :)
 
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