Nobel committee: ‘We simply disagree Obama has done nothing’

By Ron Brynaert
Tuesday, October 13th, 2009 -- 9:50 am
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Nobel committee: We simply disagree Obama has done nothingDespite the fact that even President Barack Obama wasn't sure that his record warranted a Nobel Peace Prize, the Norwegian committee is defending the decision.

On Friday, after admitting that he was "surprised and deeply humbled" by the honor, Obama said, "To be honest, I do not feel that I deserve to be in the company of so many of the transformative figures who've been honored by this prize -- men and women who've inspired me and inspired the entire world through their courageous pursuit of peace."

However, "In rare comments to media, committee chairman Thorbjoern Jagland tells The Associated Press that 'we simply disagree that he has done nothing. He got the prize for what he has done.'"

The AP story adds, "Jagland says Obama reached out to the Muslim world and 'modified' a Bush-era proposal for an anti-missile shield in Europe."

"Jagland and three other members of the five-seat Nobel panel told the AP that they had expected criticism of their decision," the article continues. "One of them, Aagot Valle, said some of the criticism was patronizing toward Obama."

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As RAW STORY reported on Friday, "Some members of the U.S. press reacted with jokes and puzzled musings Friday morning after waking up to learn President Barack Obama had won the Nobel Peace Prize."

There was light-hearted ribbing, like Ezra Klein, a blogger for the Washington Post, who twittered "Obama also awarded Nobel prize in chemistry. 'He's just got great chemistry,' says Nobel Committee," and Time's Karen Tumulty who wondered "Has anyone asked Kanye West what he thinks of Obama winning the Nobel Peace Prize?"

ABC's Jake Tapper even noted "apparently the standards are more exacting for an ASU honorary degree these days," referencing Arizona State's decision to hold off on the giving Obama an honorary degree until he'd had time to accomplish more.

“It’s normally awarded to someone who has been in their field for some time,” an ASU spokeswoman said at the time. “Considering that the president is at the beginning of his presidency, his body of work is just beginning.”

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Story comments are below...
  • Satan
    Lol, this is exactly what perpetual war looks like, and the morons that enable it.

    "As far as the silly peace-niks are concerned, stopping these wars isn't going to be easy." - Yes, peace is so silly isn't it? Honestly, some of the comments supporting our 'peaceful' president and his perpetuation of what you morons admit is a criminal war just makes me laugh.


    "I would like to inform President Obama's detractors who don't feel he has done enough to win such a prestigous award that he is the first African-American to successfully run a presidential campaign in a nation that held Africans as property for about 250 years of human history."

    So Nelson Mandela got one, so Obama should too? Lol, the blood of the innocent victims of this war should be dumped on your head in about 3 years as Obama is preparing to leave office, wars still raging.
  • captainfrank
    Giving a prize to someone because they are black is fucking racist.
  • donnalbaine
    People, Has ANYONE noticed the influx of Heroin in this country because there is no troop presence in Afghanistan? Is anyone aware that Pakistan has nuclear weapons and there is a popular trend in that country for Muslim conservatism? Pakistan is just next door, and there is a rising Taliban tide within Afghanistan that is also Anti-Government rule? The Drug-lords there are Leaders of their own valleys and are not interested in a nationalized common Afghanistan Gov... Bush did a great disservice by getting us involved in Iraq without stabilizing Afghanistan and massaging Pakistan as we unsuccessfully battled the Al Qaeda terrorists responsible for 9/11. Otherwise we would have killed/arrested Osama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden long ago. The War was not begun, the war is long from being finished. Things here will be worse off if not finished. More heroin making our Youth useless.
  • bowen
    have you noticed that heroin production under the taliban was basically zero until we turned them in to fertilizer. now we support those drug lord by dumping billions of "aid" into the country to try to garner support. we even protect their poppy fields. Also that the taliban until 1998 was trying to get bin laden out of their country until clinton bombed them in 1998 which drove them to accept the calls from bin laden that the american empire hates Muslims. how about that not one hijacker involved in 9/11 was from afghanistan. how about the idea of blow back,
  • Elim
    Listen, donnablaine, the influx of heroin into this country is BECAUSE of the troop presence in Afghanistan! The Taliban had completely eradicated it. Now there is more growing there than at any time in the past. And, as always, our CIA takes the raw product, ships it to where it is processed, then imports it here for profit, just like they do with the cocaine from South America.
  • jimijazz
    Obama just annnounced an increase of 13000 more troops. The Nobel commitee is full of crap and did the wrong thing. This war will get worse and more troop escalations are inevitable with Obama. Obama whining about Fox news is so phoney. The minute Obama complains about the right-wing he is giving in to them the next. Watch that from now on.
  • jimijazz
    More troops just means more body bags. I've heard the phoney Veitnam Vet song and dance too many times.
  • DFW
    Just by transforming the whole tone of the American government toward the rest of the world, Obama has become a transformative figure. None of his actions have yet had any lasting results, and too little time has elapsed for them to have done so. But he has not shut down Fox Noise, rescinded Rupert Murdoch's undeserved acquired US citizenship, or started any unnecessary conflicts for business (or any other) reasons. After eight years of Cheneybush, it was up to the American voters to either let the insanity continue, or change course. So he hasn't cured cancer or gotten Hamas to open a chain of falafel stands in Tel Aviv yet. The award was not so much for Obama personally, but to the people of the United States for turning out in large enough numbers in the last election to reverse the disastrous Republican course. As it would not be practical to have 57 million ordinary American voters on a stage to accept the Nobel Prize, awarding it symbolically to Obama is fine as a compromise solution. The real recipient was our country, so good for us.
  • Name
    DFW....if the award was for the people of the US and Obama was only the symbolic receiver - then where is our share of the $1.4M he received...think he is going to share that also? In your dreams.
  • DFW
    He isn't going to keep a cent of it either. If you are an American citizen (I don't know where you come from), then you are aware of the laws governing what a sitting president can keep (gifts valued at $200 and under). Presumably the fact that he has already publicly stated he will donate the whole amount to charity has not escaped you either, if you live in the United States. If you are from a foreign country, then I understand your not being aware of this.
  • Frankinbun
    Yeah yeah yeah!! Blah blah blah. Nobel peace prize? Just another turd in the toilet. Kissinger got the prize for prolonging the Vietnam war and personally picking out populated areas to illegally bomb in Cambodia, killing over a million innocent men, women and children. He was a terrorist. If Hitler were alive I'm sure he would have been Time's man of the year AND a Nobel Peace Prize recipient. As Nader said,"Americans need to do their homework." You're being mentally manipulated.
  • Satan
    "Makes you look very petty and small guys." - Right, protesting U.S. wars from 1991 makes us petty and small, whatever it takes to rationalize perpetual war, moron.
  • Meredith McCulloch
    The Peace Prize is not given for a body of work like the other prizes. It is often given to encourage actions toward peace that may have not yet born fruit, Checkout Mr. Nobel's will,

    from wikipedia: "...shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses."

    Sounds like Obama to me.
    Meredith MA
  • libertate
    "for the abolition or reduction of standing armies..."

    I think you kinda' glossed over this part.
  • Elim
    "Sounds like Obama" to you, does it? Sending 25,000 more troops to Afghanistan, bombing Pakistan, and turning a blind eye to the massacre of Palestinians by Israelis?
  • luschnig
    President Obama has already concretely accomplished more for world peace since he was inaugurated than any American President since Theodore Roosevelt. He stopped the mad Republican missile scheme, originated by Reagan as Star Wars and continued through George Bush. To Americans this may seem a small thing, but the world Obama's action to put a halt to America's overt aggression towards others is momentous.

    As far as the silly peace-niks are concerned, stopping these wars isn't going to be easy. Of course, these wars are wrong and most likely criminal, but it will take a lot more than Obama snapping his fingers to stop them. The usual way of stopping wars is through victory and defeat . . .and just who do the peace folks suggest should be the defeated and who the victor? I am waiting to hear from them to say in public 'I want America to win' or 'I want America to be defeated'. The President I am confident will find a third way to conclude the wars that will satisfy the majority of the people and bring honor to a damaged country.
  • Hightop
    Good points. I am not sure what you mean with the snapping his fingers euphemism, but its not much more difficult (remember 8 years of making our President King, CEO of the country, etc.). He needs to direct staff to write the necessary Executive Orders, pick up a pen, and sign them (obviously leaving out some other tiny duties). Anything outside that, is just politics.
    Maybe its why people can't simply stop drinking, stop eating, stop watching American Idol. Maybe they wonder, our President finds it really difficult to stop killing people, so not so bad for me to struggle with this.... Really, there's that much involved in giving an order to stop killing humans? I don't believe I would have such struggles. I don't believe I would have any difficulty in communicating why I did so after I'd done so. Certainly his reputation leads me to believe he can communicate equally well. His books and speeches certainly lead one to believe that if he's able to verbalize/write the promise, he can communicate the delivery.
  • Elim
    Has he signed any executive orders yet? Maybe he can't.
  • johnhkennedy
    Good on the Nobel Committee. Obama is definitely not Bush. Barack has yet to prove that to us for sure but I believe he will. They were encouraging him. Good for them.

    NOW WE have to push Obama
    if we want him to do the right things.


    SIGN THE PETITION
    Calling For Torture Prosecutions from the Top Down AT

    ANGRYVOTERS.ORG/nll/

    .
  • Elim
    If he hadn't already decided there would be NO prosecutions, he would not have blocked the released of those torture pictures.
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