Nobel Committee feeds Obama ego with Peace Prize

Reporters were like, dude, are you flippin' serious? And the committee was, like, yeah, cuz we want to, like, promote him, you know, even though he hasn't done squat for human rights or peace or any of that stuff.

It's hard to take this seriously. But it might have some serious consequences. What's good for the Obama ego is bad for the United States of America.

From the NYT, excerpted and with emphasis added:

Reporters at a news conference to announce the prize pressed the committee’s chairman, Thorbjorn Jagland, to explain the reasons Mr. Obama had prevailed over other candidates who included human rights activists in China and Afghanistan and political figures in Africa.

Specifically, reporters asked whether Mr. Obama might not become mired in a war in Afghanistan as Lyndon B. Johnson was in Vietnam.

But the committee said it wanted to enhance Mr. Obama’s diplomatic efforts so far rather than anticipate events in the future.

Mr. Jagland, a former prime minister of Norway, said that Mr. Obama had already contributed enough to world diplomacy and understanding to deserve the prize.

As to whether the prize was given too early in Mr. Obama’s presidency, he said: “We are not awarding the prize for what may happen in the future but for what he has done in the previous year. We would hope this will enhance what he is trying to do.”

The prize committee said it wanted to enhance Mr. Obama’s diplomatic efforts so far rather than anticipate events in the future.

The Obama administration is grappling with global crises from the Middle East to Iran to southwest Asia while American military forces are still deployed in large numbers in Iraq and the White House is considering whether to increase troop levels in Afghanistan.

Mr. Obama has appealed for reductions in nuclear arsenals and is seeking to restart peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians.

But he also confronts challenges from Iran amid fears that Tehran is seeking a nuclear weapon — charges Iran denies.

Mr. Jagland said the conflict in Afghanistan “concerns us all. We do hope an improvement in the international climate could help resolve that.” Mr. Jagland had been asked by a reporter whether Mr. Obama’s selection for the award was intended to influence the American debate on troops levels in Afghanistan.

So he's getting it for his pro-Islamic rhetoric, his adolescent no-nukes mentality, his denigration of the US, and his infatuation with the UN. Oh yeah, and for bringing us all "hope."

It's apparent that he's viewed as a narcissistic leader who is weak and vain enough to let his foreign policy be influenced by the ego-stroke of the award. I'm afraid they've got his number. This will only puff him up and encourage his president-of-the-world ambitions even further.

Looking back on the Obama presidency so far, Mr. Jagland said: “One of the first things he did was to go to Cairo to try to reach out to the Muslim world, then to restart the Mideast negotiations and then he reached out to the rest of the world through international institutions. “

He mentioned in particular the recent United Nations Security Council meeting on nuclear disarmament and the announcement of the prize noted the special importance the Nobel committee attached to President Obama’s vision of a world without nuclear weapons.

“Obama has as president created a new climate in international politics. Multilateral diplomacy has regained a central position, with emphasis on the role that the United Nations and other international institutions can play,” the committee said.

He's in good company:

President Obama was the third leading American Democrat to win the prize in 10 years, following former Vice President Al Gore in 2007 along with the United Nations climate panel and former President Jimmy Carter in 2002.

The prize is worth the equivalent of $1.4 million and is to be awarded in Oslo on Dec. 10.

I heard he's going to Disneyworld.

Reactions:
STACLU calls it the appeasement prize.
John Miller points out that the deadline for nominations was Feb. 1, making this all the more absurd.
Mona Charen agrees with me: please don't feed the ego.
More from me in the Green Room.
Andy McCarthy nails it:

The award is a symbolic statement of opposition to American exceptionalism, American might, American capitalism, American self-determinism, and American pursuit of America's interests in the world. That is why Obama could win it based on only 10 days in office — merely by capturing the White House and the levers of power, he stands to do more for the Left's "knock America off its pedestal" program than any figure in history.

After a number of years, the NFL renamed its Super Bowl trophy after its most fitting recipient — it's now called the Vince Lombardi Trophy. I'd like to see the Nobel Foundation follow suit. If today's headlines said, "Barack Obama Wins Yasser Arafat Prize," that would be perfect.

Richard Cohen mocks this mockery.
A Cornerite points out Obama's real peace coup: the beer summit. Others dispute whether or not His Awesomeness deserves the Cy Young Award. More jokes on Twitter. Even more here from (get ready) George Stephanopoulos.
Peter Kirsanow has a list of some who will not be amused, including Iranian dissidents, Honduran democrats, and others.
Yuval Levin sees it as a "peculiar honor" and a potential problem for Obama. A worthy read.
The Troglopundit wants a Pulitzer.
Bob Belvedere notes that Obama has brought peace amongst the world's tyrants.
Mary Katharine Ham profiles those who were eclipsed by Obama.
Snaggletoothie calls the award "Euro trash."

What Rush says:

"This fully exposes the illusion that is Barack Obama," Limbaugh told POLITICO in an e-mail. "And with this 'award' the elites of the world are urging Obama, THE MAN OF PEACE, to not do the surge in Afghanistan, not take action against Iran and its nuclear program and to basically continue his intentions to emasculate the United States."

Limbaugh continued: "They love a weakened, neutered U.S and this is their way of promoting that concept. I think God has a great sense of humor, too."

And perhaps you saw this coming. The DNC is so incensed that it has skipped right over charges of racism (they'll have to get back to that later) and declared that it's unpatriotic, actually treasonous, to react honestly to this Nobel farce:

"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," DNC communications director Brad Woodhouse told POLITICO.

Take a breath, brother.


Nobel citation here:

“The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided that the Nobel Peace Prize for 2009 is to be awarded to President Barack Obama for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples. The Committee has attached special importance to Obama’s vision of and work for a world without nuclear weapons.”

“Obama has as President created a new climate in international politics. Multilateral diplomacy has regained a central position, with emphasis on the role that the United Nations and other international institutions can play. Dialogue and negotiations are preferred as instruments for resolving even the most difficult international conflicts. The vision of a world free from nuclear arms has powerfully stimulated disarmament and arms control negotiations. Thanks to Obama’s initiative, the United States is now playing a more constructive role in meeting the great climatic challenges the world is confronting. Democracy and human rights are to be strengthened.”

“Only very rarely has a person to the same extent as Obama captured the world’s attention and given its people hope for a better future. His diplomacy is founded in the concept that those who are to lead the world must do so on the basis of values and attitudes that are shared by the majority of the world’s population,” the citation said.

“For 108 years, the Norwegian Nobel Committee has sought to stimulate precisely that international policy and those attitudes for which Obama is now the world’s leading spokesman. The Committee endorses Obama’s appeal that ‘now is the time for all of us to take our share of responsibility for a global response to global challenges.’”

Linked at Michelle Malkin (buzzworthy) and Memeorandum.

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