Nobel committee defends decision: Obama’s, er, done some stuff
posted at 9:45 pm on October 13, 2009 by Allahpundit
True enough. He did, after all, downgrade missile defense in eastern Europe in order to build a peace consensus with Russia on Iranian nukes.
How’s that working out?
“We simply disagree that he has done nothing,” committee chairman Thorbjoern Jagland told the AP on Tuesday. “He got the prize for what he has done.”
Jagland singled out Obama’s efforts to heal the divide between the West and the Muslim world and scale down a Bush-era proposal for an anti-missile shield in Europe.
“All these things have contributed to—I wouldn’t say a safer world—but a world with less tension,” Jagland said by phone from the French city of Strasbourg, where he was attending meetings in his other role as secretary-general of the Council of Europe.
That’s as candid a statement as you’re ever likely to see from an international diplomat. In fact, it reminds me of ElBaradei (a Nobel laureate himself) and his approach to Iran: Peace isn’t measured by actual security gains but merely by how well “tensions” have been papered over. No wonder The One got the award. Who’s better at getting up on stage and assuring the world that we’re all on the same team, even though we’re very much not? As Bret Stephens and Rich Lowry said, in hindsight he was the perfect pick. They might as well give him next year’s award now too. Exit quotation from Jeffrey Lord, daring to dream big:
It’s time to end the monopoly of the Nobel Peace Prize, the prize that is in fact historically and relentlessly dedicated in the modern era to rewarding the fatuous leftist ideas and false values of leftist global diplomacy. A philosophy that not only did not bring peace to the world — but never will. Not when tried by Woodrow Wilson, Austen Chamberlain, Frank Kellogg, Aristide Briand, Nicholas Murray Butler and Arthur Henderson and others from 1919 to 1939. Or Jimmy Carter in 2002, Al Gore in 2007, and now Barack Obama in 2009.
It’s time to award real prestige to those who achieve real peace.
It’s time for the Reagan Prize.
Update: A fair point in The One’s defense from the comments. The beer summit was epic.
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“All these things have contributed to—I wouldn’t say a safer world—but a world with less tension,” Jagland said
So… We should call it the Nobel Slacker prize? Less tension means more slack, doesn’t it?
NavyspyII on October 14, 2009 at 6:25 AM
Instead of calling it the the `Nobel Peace Prize`, they should change the name to the `Norwegian Politics Prize´, given the person or group who most reflects the political opinion of the Norwegian parliament.
Since the Nobel Peace Prize committee is made up of members of the Norwegian Parliament, the Prize has become Norway`s way of becoming a voice in world politics.
Norway is a far away, small country in the world and their politicians must feel slighted for no one listening to their lofty, intellectual Nordic liberal wisdom. Hence they use the Nobel Peace Prize as their only way to inject their politics onto the world stage.
albill on October 14, 2009 at 6:35 AM
1950′s “Too much tension?….Try new improved Anicin…”
Jeff from WI on October 14, 2009 at 7:17 AM
The beer summit was a result of the filthy lying coward weighing in and declaring that the Cambridge PD acted stupidly in arresting his racist buddy. To use that as a reason to award the rat bastard traitor the Nobel Peace Prize is akin to handing it to Hitler for quelling the violence in Poland by invading it.
highhopes on October 14, 2009 at 7:22 AM
Defend its decision? Oh please as far as I can see they gave it to him for one real reason, they think he’s just super dreamy.
Dave_d on October 14, 2009 at 7:41 AM
Norwegian tax payers are subsidizing Obama? HA
Libertarian Joseph on October 14, 2009 at 8:12 AM
Hm. I’m not feeling it I guess. And this guy sounds exactly like all of 0bama’s defenders during the campaign, insisting that he has done stuff. Yeah, lot’s of stuff.
4shoes on October 14, 2009 at 8:32 AM
That was great! I put it up on my facebook.
4shoes on October 14, 2009 at 8:51 AM
Obama was awarded the prize for his consistency: glossy, dreamy hope for the future.
The effect is that the tension is removed from the rhetoric coming from our enemies. Obama has taken the pressure off of them. Meanwhile they’re tooling up to crush us or anyone else in their way.
Pazman on October 14, 2009 at 8:53 AM
Wacademic toadies applaud;
/Comments thread open
Terp Mole on October 14, 2009 at 9:36 AM
Heh, look at this: The Nobel judges have admitted that Barack didn’t look very happy when getting his award. I don’t know what to think. I had presumed Barack was giddy with excitement.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/barackobama/6326087/Nobel-judges-admit-Barack-Obama-didnt-look-happy.html
Sharke on October 14, 2009 at 10:57 AM
This isn’t the committee’s only lobe blow.
In 1949 the Nobel Prize in Medicine was awarded Egas Moniz for inventing the Lobotomy.
Dr. Charles G. Waugh on October 14, 2009 at 2:03 PM
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