# Obama awarded 2009 Nobel Peace Prize



## Todd (Jul 3, 2006)

For what? All his great "achievements"?? The man is naive and arrogant, now he has even more fuel for his ego. 

*Obama awarded 2009 Nobel Peace Prize*

*CNN)* -- President Barack Obama won the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize on Friday, a stunning decision that comes just eight months into his presidency.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee said it honored Obama for is "extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples."

The president had not been mentioned as among front-runners for the prize, and the roomful of reporters gasped when Thorbjorn Jagland, chairman of the Nobel committee, uttered Obama's name.
The president, who was awakened to be told he had won, said he was humbled to be selected, according to an administration official.

The Nobel committee recognized Obama's efforts to solve complex global problems including working toward a world free of nuclear weapons.

"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," the committee said.

Jagland said the decision was "unanimous" and came with ease.

He rejected the notion that Obama had been recognized prematurely for his efforts and said the committee wanted to promote the president just it had Mikhail Gorbachev in 1990 in his efforts to open up the Soviet Union.

"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," it said.

Obama's recognition comes less than a year after he became the first African-American to win the White House. He is the fourth U.S. president to win the prestigious prize and the third sitting president to do so.

The announcement Friday in Oslo, Norway, came as a surprise -- Obama had not been mentioned among front-runners -- and the roomful of reporters gasped when Thorbjorn Jagland, chairman of the Nobel committee, announced Obama's name.

Jagland said the decision was unanimous and came with ease.

He rejected the notion that Obama had been recognized prematurely for his efforts and said the committee wanted to promote the president just it had Mikhail Gorbachev in 1990 in his efforts to open up the Soviet Union.

Jagland said he hoped the prize would help Obama resolve the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. 
Former Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari, last year's laureate, said it was clear the Nobel committee wanted to encourage Obama on the issues he has been discussing on the world stage.

"I see this as an important encouragement," Ahtisaari said.

The committee wanted to be "far more daring" than in recent times and make an impact on global politics, said Kristian Berg Harpviken, director of the International Peace Research Institute.

And Wangari Muta Maathai, the Kenyan environmentalist who won the 2004 Peace Prize, said the win for Obama, whose father was Kenyan, would help Africa move forward.

"I think it is extraordinary," she said. "It will be even greater inspiration for the world. He has shown how we can probably come together, work together in a cooperative way."

The award comes at a crucial time for Obama, who has initiated peace missions to key parts of the globe.

Obama's envoy to the Middle East, George Mitchell, has returned to the region to advocate for peace negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians. Mitchell met Thursday with Israeli President Shimon Peres. He plans to meet Friday with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu before talking with Palestinian leaders in the West Bank.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton starts a six-day trip to Europe and Russia on Friday. On the trip, the secretary will discuss the next steps on Iran and North Korea, and international efforts to have the two countries end their nuclear programs.

The centerpiece of the trip will be her visit to Moscow, where she will work toward an agreement to take the place of the Start II arms control pact, which expires December 5. She also will address the new bilateral presidential commission that is working on a broad range of issues, from arms control to health.
Mohamed ElBaradei, who won the 2005 peace prize for his efforts to prevent nuclear energy being used for military means, said Obama deserved to win for his efforts to bring Iran to the table for direct nuclear talks with the United States.

"I could not think of anybody who is more deserving," said ElBaradei, the chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

As the news of Obama's win broke online, postings on social network sites Twitter and Facebook expressed surprise. Many started with the word: Wow.

The last sitting U.S. president to win the peace prize was Woodrow Wilson in 1919. The other was Theodore Roosevelt in 1906. Jimmy Carter had been out of office for more than two decades when he won in 2002.

This year's Peace Prize nominees included 172 people -- among them three Chinese dissidents, an Afghan activist and a controversial Colombian lawmaker -- and 33 organizations, the highest number of nominations ever.









The deadline for nominations must be postmarked by February 1 each year. Obama was inaugurated on January 20.

The Nobel recipient receives a prize of about $1.4 million.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/europe/10/09/nobel.peace.prize/index.html?eref=rss_topstories


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## kev74 (Mar 22, 2008)

Congratulations???

Our Dear Leader is a superstar in Europe, so I don't see how this will be a surprise to anyone. 

:watching:


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## hawcer (Feb 22, 2008)

One word......BRIBERY!


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## kev74 (Mar 22, 2008)

hawcer said:


> One word......BRIBERY!


Huh? 

What is the Norwegian Nobel Committee trying to get Barry to support that they need to bribe him?

More likely, its a combination of their dislike of Bush, their approval of Barry's advancement of progressive social change and his administration's return to international diplomacy.

Or the Norwegians and are trying to bribe him to nuke the Swedes and stop the proliferation of IKEA!!!11!1! (less likely)


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## falchunt (May 8, 2009)

They should give a nobel prize to Adam Sandler too...He gives people more HOPE than this....thing....


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## falchunt (May 8, 2009)

*The Nobel recipient receives a prize of about $1.4 million.*

This makes me SICK


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## VAMarine (Dec 25, 2008)

Cool, maybe next year I'll get the award because I can tie my shoes correctly...


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## Todd (Jul 3, 2006)

VAMarine said:


> Cool, maybe next year I'll get the award because I can tie my shoes correctly...


Velcro shoes don't count! :anim_lol:


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## Todd (Jul 3, 2006)

*The deadline for nomination was feb 1, he was in office 11 days!!*

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/president-obama-wins-nobel-peace-prize/story?id=8788973

*Obama Accepts Nobel Peace Prize as a 'Call for Action'*

Acknowledging that he was surprised and deeply humbled by the news that he had won the Nobel Peace Prize, President Barack Obama today urged the international community to work together on addressing the challenges of the 21st century.

"I do not feel I deserve to be in the company of so many transformative figures who have been honored by this prize," Obama said in brief remarks at the White House. "I do not view it as a recognition of my own accomplishments but rather as an affirmation of American leadership on behalf of aspirations held by people in all nations."

The president said the prize will be used as a means to give momentum, but that no one person or one administration alone can solve all the problems.

"All nations must take responsibility for the world we seek," the president said. "We cannot tolerate a world in which nuclear weapons spread to more nations. ... We cannot accept the growing threat posed by climate change, which could forever danger the world we pass on to our children. ... We cannot allow the differences between people to allow the way we see one another."

Stressing the work he has done as commander-in-chief in pulling back forces from Iraq, Obama said that "some of the work confronting us will not be completed during our presidency" and that some work "may not be completed during my lifetime," adding, however, that he was hopeful the challenges will be met. 
"This award is not about the efforts of my administration, it's about the efforts of people around the world," he said.

Obama, the third sitting U.S. president to win the prestigious award, will travel to Oslo in December to accept the prize in person.

The news that Obama was awarded the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize came as a surprise, even to the White House. Press aides said they had heard from news reports weeks ago that the president was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize but they do not believe Obama himself knew of his nomination.

*The deadline for nominations is Feb. 1, meaning the president was nominated after being in office for just 11 days. *

Geir Lundestad, director of the Norwegian Nobel Institute, told "Good Morning America" the decision to pick Obama was unanimous.

"President Obama has changed very dramatically international politics," Lundestad told "GMA's" Diane Sawyer today. "We feel he has emphasized multilateral diplomacy, he has addressed international institutions, dialogue negotiations. He has inspired the world with his vision of a world without nuclear arms. He has changed the U.S. policy dramatically. There's a whole list."


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## TMUSCLE1 (Nov 20, 2008)

Isn't the deadline for the Nobel prize only 2 weeks after the inauguration? 

Correct me if I'm wrong.


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## VAMarine (Dec 25, 2008)

> I do not view it as a recognition of my own accomplishments but rather as an affirmation of American leadership on behalf of aspirations held by people in all nations.


"

:smt076 WHAT ACCOMPLISHMENTS!!!!!!????? :smt076


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## Todd (Jul 3, 2006)

VAMarine said:


> "
> 
> :smt076 WHAT ACCOMPLISHMENTS!!!!!!????? :smt076


There are none. Even SNL knows it.

[yt]



[/yt]


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## TOF (Sep 7, 2006)

Pardon me while I throw up.
:smt078 :smt078 :smt078

Surely this belongs in the joke section. Sick perhaps but it must be a joke. :smt076

tumbleweed


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## VAMarine (Dec 25, 2008)

I think whoever wrote that skit deserves a prize....




tumbleweed


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## Todd (Jul 3, 2006)

TOF said:


> Pardon me while I throw up.
> :smt078 :smt078 :smt078
> 
> Surely this belongs in the joke section. Sick perhaps but it must be a joke. :smt076
> ...


What's really sick is with the deadline for nominations being Feb 1, 2009, the Nobel people are stating that Obama was able to accomplish in 2 weeks what people like Mother Theresa, The Dali Lama, Nelson Mandella, and Martin Luther King Jr. took their lifetimes to do. Those people are so out of Obama's league, you can't even call it the same sport. It's an insult to them and the work they did/do.


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## hawcer (Feb 22, 2008)

kev74 said:


> Huh?
> 
> What is the Norwegian Nobel Committee trying to get Barry to support that they need to bribe him?
> 
> ...


Exactly what I said...Bribery.

How else would he have been nominated for the prize only two weeks into his term....He won the prize for what he promised to do,Not for what he has done. So...The Nobel peace prize along with the 1.4 million was given to him to ...a little push to actually do what he said he would do....Bribery!


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## GySgt1811 (Jul 4, 2009)

*So THAT'S how it works!*



VAMarine said:


> Cool, maybe next year I'll get the award because I can tie my shoes correctly...


Hey, I make a darn good bean soup. VAMarine, I'll nominate you for the Physics prize if you'll nominate me for the Chemistry, OK? That leaves Literature and History open. Any takers?

Gunny


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## VAMarine (Dec 25, 2008)

GySgt1811 said:


> Hey, I make a darn good bean soup. VAMarine, I'll nominate you for the Physics prize if you'll nominate me for the Chemistry, OK? That leaves Literature and History open. Any takers?
> 
> Gunny


How about Mad Magazine for literature and Monty Python and the Holy Grail for history?


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## hawcer (Feb 22, 2008)

VAMarine said:


> How about Mad Magazine for literature and Monty Python and the Holy Grail for history?


Only if you promise to read them.:smt033


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## Todd (Jul 3, 2006)

I've come to the conclusion that calling Obama a Nobel Prize winner is like calling Ben Afleck an Academy Award winner. Both are _technically_ true, but in reality, Obama and Afleck just plain suck at what they do!


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## kev74 (Mar 22, 2008)

Todd said:


> I've come to the conclusion that calling Obama a Nobel Prize winner is like calling Ben Afleck an Academy Award winner. Both are _technically_ true, but in reality, Obama and Afleck just plain suck at what they do!


Your analogy is true, but the other thing they have in common is that they have absolutely no impact on me. I've got more worthy things to be outraged about - like the fact that the Republican Party is well on their way to handing the Democrats another 2 year free ride in 2010.

So for the next week or two - and then again when the prize is awarded, conservative commentators will bitch and moan and whine. And the liberal types will anxiously wait for Barry to walk on water, heal the sick and turn water into wine.

But nobody is asking the Republicans what they're going to bring to the table. There are problems with the financial sector in this country - What's the Republican solution? There are problems with Health Care in this country - What do the Republicans want to do about it? We've got big problems with lobbyists running our government- Do the Republicans see this as a problem? Their strategy for taking back Congress 2010 is hoping that Pelosi and Harry Reed tear the Democratic party apart. There is no unified voice from the right and its going to cost us for a long time.


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## jc27310 (Dec 14, 2008)

*even Michael Jackson was nominated...*

I bet he would have won even if he wasn't the president....

this says more about the Norwegian Parliament than the president or the other winners like Mother Teresa.

:smt019


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## jc27310 (Dec 14, 2008)

kev74 said:


> Your analogy is true, but the other thing they have in common is that they have absolutely no impact on me. I've got more worthy things to be outraged about - like the fact that the Republican Party is well on their way to handing the Democrats another 2 year free ride in 2010.
> 
> So for the next week or two - and then again when the prize is awarded, conservative commentators will bitch and moan and whine. And the liberal types will anxiously wait for Barry to walk on water, heal the sick and turn water into wine.
> 
> But nobody is asking the Republicans what they're going to bring to the table. There are problems with the financial sector in this country - What's the Republican solution? There are problems with Health Care in this country - What do the Republicans want to do about it? We've got big problems with lobbyists running our government- Do the Republicans see this as a problem? Their strategy for taking back Congress 2010 is hoping that Pelosi and Harry Reed tear the Democratic party apart. There is no unified voice from the right and its going to cost us for a long time.


Kev,
you are correct!
the sad thing is that until people realize that the 2 parties running the show are just that, running the show. (key word "show") there really is no difference to me between the two. 
People forget, its the same players year after year, but we are all still surprised we cant get a balanced budget. We argue over litmus test for candidates, not if they have the background or fortitude to do the tough work.

The only solution I have to offer is vote every election, support independent thinkers, and save your money, you will need cash.
-John


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## James NM (Jan 4, 2007)

You guys shouldn't be so negative. Sometime the Nobel Peace Prize is awarded based upon a body or work, not just "what have you done for me lately".

To truly evaluate Obama's worthiness of this prestigious award, I think you have to consider his lifetime achievements.

First off, how about his career as a Community Organizer (as in ACORN) ...... oops ..... well, how about his success as a State Senator in Illinois transforming the cesspool of Chicago politics, poverty and violence ...... uh, umm, uh ......well how about his stellar career in the US Senate where he .... where he .... where he .... well how about his accomplishments as the President of the United States. There was .... how about .... Hum. I know! He was successful in getting the 2016 Olympics for Chicago, wasn't he?

Well, how about this: He _is_ good at reading a teleprompter.

Speaking of the Nobel Peace Prize and the Liberal Elitist Europeans who award it: Can you pick out the name from the following list that *did not *win the aforementioned award?:

Al Gore
Jimmy Carter
Mahatma Gandhi
Barrack Obama

I think that kinda puts the Nobel Peace Prize in proper perspective.


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## kev74 (Mar 22, 2008)

And then there's the prize money that he said would be donated to charity.... Maybe he'll give some of it to Acorn. I hear their revenue stream has taken a hit lately - must be the poor economy. :anim_lol:


Hey, you don't think there will be anything meaningful happening with the revamping of our health insurance, or maybe some kind of cooperate-oversight government agency created while we're all up in arms over Barry winning a prize in Norway, do you?  I guess we should all just do what the tv tells us and pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.


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## Tuefelhunden (Nov 20, 2006)

Well crafted JamesNM. Well crafted. Personally I can't actually blame Obama for this. Yes the fact that he got the award is laughable but what's the guy going to do say no thanks I don't want it? I'll blame him for the dumb things he actually does or tries to do but this ones not on him in my opinion. Love that SNL skit and hope it rings true for another 3 years. 4 years of trying to do stupid things but accomplishing none of them? I can live with that.


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## jump15vc (Feb 24, 2009)

Todd said:


> He rejected the notion that Obama had been recognized prematurely for his efforts and said the committee wanted to promote the president just it had Mikhail Gorbachev in 1990 in his efforts to open up the Soviet Union.


Did some norwegian just compare america during the bush admin. to the soviet union??? i understand that everyone hated bush, especially the europeans but to compare the us to the ussr is ridiculous. i mean if it werent for america, its entirely plausible that norway would be part of the ussr today.


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## James NM (Jan 4, 2007)

I've been giving this whole Nobel Peace Prize some more thought. Just what has Obama done to promote peace? Everyone check this list and make sure I haven't left something out. I want to be fair.

Obama is currently prosecuting not one, but two wars.
Guantanamo Bay is still doing a brisk business.
Obama is sending Predator planes into Pakistan to kill people.
Obama is still practicing Rendition.
And just for good measure, Obama had NASA bomb the Moon.

I sure hope Obama remains "peaceful" and doesn't turn into a war monger.

Does this sound like a recent thread about the Twilight Zone to anyone else? Are we living in a parallel universe or something?

Or maybe we're suddenly living in "Opposite World". Remember the episode of Seinfeld where George realizes what a sorry job he's done of living his life, and suddenly starts doing everything the "opposite" of his normal way? This certainly sounds like "Opposite World" to me.

Wouldn't it be funny if that when Obama goes to pick up his Nobel Peace Prize, Kramer comes out from behind the stage and hands Obama his award?


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## Sonny Boy (Sep 20, 2009)

This is George Soros, and the international bankers putting their weight on the Nobel Commission to continue the push of making America a Socialistic nation. Obama reads a teleprompter, because Soros and others are telling him what to say, Obama is a pupet on strings.

Obama is smart, but he came to power because of a media push financed by the big socialist money group, international bankers who need America to be in debt. Once we are under the financial debt we are beaten. Their goal, a one world government.


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## mike#9 (Jul 14, 2008)

jump15vc said:


> Did some norwegian just compare america during the bush admin. to the soviet union??? i understand that everyone hated bush, especially the europeans but to compare the us to the ussr is ridiculous. i mean if it werent for america, its entirely plausible that norway would be part of the ussr today.


Well Obama has us with one foot in the door of full blown Socialism.....and the other on a banana peel. Then, yes....I believe he plans on trying to turn us in to the 2009 version of that waste of a land mass that was the USSR.


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## James NM (Jan 4, 2007)

Ok, so Obama is nominated for the award less than 2 weeks into his presidency. 8 or 9 months into his presidency, he wins the award, and his only accomplishment thus far is ....... winning the award.

Here's what I think:

Obama wining the Nobel Peace Prize = International Affirmative Action


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## Todd (Jul 3, 2006)

James NM said:


> Obama wining the Nobel Peace Prize = International Affirmative Action


:anim_lol::smt082:anim_lol::smt082:anim_lol:


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## MLB (Oct 4, 2006)

This is long, but too funny not to post. From a message I received:

John was in the fertilized egg business.
He had several hundred young layers (hens), called 'pullets,'
and ten roosters to fertilize the eggs.

He kept records, and any rooster not performing
went into the soup pot and was replaced.

This took a lot of time, so he bought some tiny bells
and attached them to his roosters.

Each bell had a different tone, so he could tell from a distance,
which rooster was performing.

Now, he could sit on the porch and fill out an efficiency report
by just listening to the bells.

John's favorite rooster, Hussein, was a very fine specimen,
but this morning he noticed Hussein's bell hadn't rung at all!

When he went to investigate, he saw the other roosters were busy chasing
pullets, bells-a-ringing, but the pullets, hearing the roosters coming, could run for
cover.

To John's amazement, Hussein had his bell in his beak, so it couldn't
ring.

He'd sneak up on a pullet, do his job and walk on to the next one.
John was so proud of Hussein, he entered him in the Renfrew County Fair
and he became an overnight sensation among the judges.

The result was the judges not only awarded Hussein the No Bell Piece
Prize but they also awarded him the Pulletsurprise as well.
Clearly Hussein was a politician in the making.

Who else but a politician could figure out how to win two of the 
most highly coveted awards on our planet by being the best at 
sneaking up on the populace and screwing them when they weren't 
paying attention.

Vote carefully, the bells are not always audible.​


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## VAMarine (Dec 25, 2008)

Got this in an email...










:watching:


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## Todd (Jul 3, 2006)

VAMarine said:


> Got this in an email...
> 
> 
> 
> ...


That's great!


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## James NM (Jan 4, 2007)

That's funny MLB.
"... awarded him the Pulletsurprise as well" :anim_lol::anim_lol:


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## TheReaper (Nov 14, 2008)

Can I nominate myself for the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize ?


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## James NM (Jan 4, 2007)

TheReaper said:


> Can I nominate myself for the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize ?


I don't know why not.

It appears that if your name is not George W. Bush you are qualified.


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## Atroxus (Nov 7, 2008)

What disgusts me almost as much as the nobel peace prize commitee awarding it to Obama; was that he admitted he did not deserve it and accepted it anyways. I really think he should have declined the award in favor of someone who actually deserved it.:-x


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## James NM (Jan 4, 2007)

Atroxus said:


> What disgusts me almost as much as the nobel peace prize commitee awarding it to Obama; was that he admitted he did not deserve it and accepted it anyways. I really think he should have declined the award in favor of someone who actually deserved it.:-x


Yes, but if you follow that logic, than he also would have declined his party's presidential nomination.


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