My two cents...

I believe I said just a day ago, that the International Community sees President Obama differently than us. And maybe they see something that we don't see.
I find interesting is that so many of the right wing blow-hards were already pronouncing his presidency a fat failure, with a culture of corruption, etc etc. It seems to me if they(right and the left) get to judge him a failure after only nine months, isn't it fair that someone else gets to judge him a resounding success after only nine months?

Just sayin'.

Peace maker? Are you talking about the guy who, hours after taking the oath of office signed off on bombings in Pakistan that killed tens of civilians, including a number of children? Are you talking about the guy whose solution to violence in Afghanistan is to escalate U.S. violence there, leading, of course, to a major increase in overall violence, death, destruction, and misery; the guy who refuses to acknowledge the Goldstone Report, and whose administration helped Israel pressure the PA to give up efforts to have it taken seriously; the guy who caved completely to Israel on the issue of Israel's illegal colonization of occupied territory; the guy who is playing a shell game in Iraq where U.S. combat troops are still patrolling the cities they supposedly pulled out of; the guy who whippped up a hysterical frenzy by maximally hyping the "secret" Qum nuclear facility that Iran had already reported to the IAEA, and demanded that Iran allow inspectors in "or else" AFTER Iran had invited IAEA to send inspectors; the Commander in Chief under whom the Pentagon, according to recent mainstream reports, has an active plan to bomb Iran? Yeah, some peacemaker.

Rights activist? Really? Has anyone talked to the Palestinians about that? The Afghans? The Pakistanis? The Iraqis? The Iranis? They might have a slightly different take on that.

That's the thing. He's WORKING on this stuff.
Good for him.

But you'd think the committee would hold off until he accomplished something profound.

But at least it's driving the right wingers out of their collective minds. I'm all for that.

"To shut down Guantanamo Bay"

And leave open and operational countless other houses of horrors such as Bagram and othe Afghan hell holes, American prisons in Iraq, and an unknown number of "black sites" on land and sea throughout the world.

"Cairo speech to Muslim world"

Which has been followed up by escalating the violence in Afghanistan, continuing the bombing and killing of civilians and children in Pakistan, upping the hype and threats against Iran, scuttling the Goldstone report, caving to Israel on its continued creation of facts on the ground in the Occupied Territories, doing exactly nothing about the starvation of the people in Gaza. Muslims are very impressed by nice rhetoric, but when the actions belie the rhetoric sooner or later  they do catch on as a great many already have. And the second time they aren't as likely to buy it so easily.

"Drive for I/P peace settlement"

Driving in reverse counts as an accomplishment?

"Strong U.N. non-proliferation statement"

Yes, he made a strong U.N. non-proliferation statement, and the very next day came an announcement that the U.S. is in the process of a significant proliferation itself. Am I the only one who picked up on that?

"Bringing hope to African continent"

Hope is wonderful. What has he actually DONE?

"Building alliances worldwide"

What is exceptional about that?

I think Obama won the Peace Prize for one simple reason - he is not Bush.

recently Al Gore, Wangari Maathai (Kenya, Greenbelt movement) - international environmentalism as a component of peace; Barack turned back the McCain warmonger tide and coordinates usa international role as dialog partner with sustainable energy (and usa energy independence). I'd guess that's a part of the committee's decision  

Viva Obama

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≈ Cross-posted from my diary -- Congrats! Obama Awarded Nobel Peace Prize [Updated] ≈

"But I will not let myself be reduced to silence."

they have indeed...and quite the spectacle it is.

the DNC has a response:

The Republican Party has thrown in its lot with the terrorists -- the Taliban and Hamas this morning -- in criticizing the President for receiving the Nobel Peace prize. Republicans cheered when America failed to land the Olympics and now they are criticizing the President of the United States for receiving the Nobel Peace prize -- an award he did not seek but that is nonetheless an honor in which every American can take great pride -- unless of course you are the Republican Party. The 2009 version of the Republican Party has no boundaries, has no shame and has proved that they will put politics above patriotism at every turn. It's no wonder only 20 percent of Americans admit to being Republicans anymore - it's an embarrassing label to claim.

the plum line

zing! is that a spine l see?


the revolution will not be televised...

I think declining it would remove some of the added international political capital that it provides.

It also appears that the punditry and wingnuts want him to refuse it -- so, apparently they are put out by the fact that he won it, and will do whatever they can to disparage it.  On that basis alone, I think he should display it prominently in the WH and donate the $$ to a charitable (progressive) cause.

Never, never brave me, nor my fury tempt:
  Downey wings, but wroth they beat
Tempest even in reason's seat.

Wow!  That was one great speech.  Clear points with no gray area for anyone to not understand. Thanks for providing the link!

We must not continue to cure the symptoms and ignore the disease!
Spiritual Awakening

Nothing left to say.

Incredible.

"Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity"

One doesn't undo a war machine in 9 months, especially when one has to work through the current Congress.  And explain oneself to the current media.

What Europeans noticed that was not well covered in the US was what has been done to frame the issues with Iran and North Korea.  And to get efforts going again to stop the proliferation of nuclear weapons.  And those accomplishments are substantial.  Canceling the Bush installation of an anti-ballistic missile system in Poland and the Czech Republican that was unworkable and had become a barrier to further build-down of US and Russian nuclear arsenals.  Leading the heads of state on the UN Security Council to vote in a framework for further nonproliferation efforts and build-downs of nuclear weapons.  And then taking that agreement to start talks with Iran and restart them with North Korea, completely undercutting the neo-con drumbeat for war with both of these.  That's pretty substantial.

On Iraq, he has reaffirmed the status of forces agreement in the face of General Odierno wanting to renege on it.  And in Afghanistan, he is rethinking the entire strategy there an not giving knee-jerk approval to Gen. McChrystal's request for more troops.  In the current political climate of personal threats and determined Congressional opposition, the moves in Iraq and Afghanistan to shut down the military war-boosters are more substantial than most lefties give Obama credit for.  And it's pretty clear that what has given him the room to make some of these changes is that even the military is aware how they've screwed up in Iraq and Afghanistan.  McChrystal knows this; he just doesn't want to end his career looking like William Westmoreland.  Ironically, his request for more troops makes him look exactly like William Westmoreland.

And in fact, the Nobel Committee has a habit of awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in order to "make him do it".  Think of the one awarded Henry Kissinger and Le Duc Tho for the ceasefire and troop withdrawal agreement that neither followed.  Or think of the one awarded Yitzhak Rabin, Shimon Peres, and Yasar Arafat for the Middle East peace that never came.

50 states, 210 media market, 435 Congressional Districts, 3080 counties, 192,480 precincts

I posted about it here:

http://southofheaven.typepad.com/south_of_heaven/2009/10/obama-wins-nobel-peace-prize.html

It's a sort of wishful thinking peace prize. As opposed to Kissinger's "I hit myself on the head with a hammer because it feels so good when I stop" peace prize. By comparison it's incrementally better; but on that basis I should have won one of those MacArthur grants for my lifetime achievements in the field of doodling. Maybe next year. Or maybe I get the peace prize. I haven't started a bar fight in years.

Just saying.

I missed that announced new project to increase the US nuclear arsenal.  What was it?  Link?

Not disagreeing, just would like the link.

50 states, 210 media market, 435 Congressional Districts, 3080 counties, 192,480 precincts