Huckleberries Online

Obama Gets Peace Prize Amidst War

Posted by DFO

Dec. 10, 2009 9:28 a.m. • 13 comments

President Obama accepted the Nobel Peace Prize Thursday by talking about war and the limits of non-violence. But he also praised the peacemakers of the past, and said the world can and should still strive for peace. “Let us reach for the world that ought to be,” he told the 1,000-member audience at Oslo City Hall. “Clear-eyed, we can understand that there will be war, and still strive for peace.” The Nobel committee’s choice of Obama as this year’s laureate sparked controversy, in part because he is a president waging two wars abroad. Obama said force is sometimes necessary, but said that is simply “a recognition of history, the imperfections of man, and the limits of reason”/CNN. More here.

Question: What did Barack Obama do in his first year in office to deserve the Peace Prize?

13 comments on this post so far. Add yours!

OrangeTV on December 10 at 9:36 a.m.
(Insert predictable comment by hmoffsuite here)
idawa on December 10 at 9:39 a.m.
He won the leadership of the world’s most powerful army by campaigning against Bush’s war policy and by advocating talking to enemies before bombing them… for starters.
hmoffsuite on December 10 at 9:48 a.m.
Thanks, Otv, for the setup. Of course he did nothing to deserve it and furthermore, the prize was voted on about a week after he took office. The only thing he had done by that time was announce the closure of Gitmo within a year, which, as it turns out, was a false promise.
OrangeTV on December 10 at 9:51 a.m.
No prob, anytime. Did you consider that he might have picked for the award for things he accomplished BEFORE he moved into the White House?
hmoffsuite on December 10 at 10:03 a.m.
I doubt that, Otv, as there wasn’t much there. But I think he got the prize for things he MIGHT do in the future. Of course, that was before he stepped up the war in Afghanistan.
factchecker on December 10 at 10:10 a.m.
I think he received the prize for the hope he brought to the country that things would be better after the 8 terrible years of Bush.
Phaedrus on December 10 at 10:48 a.m.
Nothing.
lew2nl on December 10 at 10:58 a.m.
Nothing this year nor do I recall anything he did for peace last year during his campaign. He sure takes lots of trips at taxpayer expense.
Norther on December 10 at 11:20 a.m.
He looked perty and he wasn’t George W. Bush.
Charlie on December 10 at 11:52 a.m.
Waiting for him to do something!
fortboise on December 10 at 12:10 p.m.
Whatever criticism you cook up, why not at least base it on a fact or two?

The voting for the prize was in October. The postmark deadline for nominations is Feb. 1. You could look it up.
spokelooneh on December 10 at 12:14 p.m.
fortboise, don’t confuse HMO with facts, he’s averse to them.
Eyes & Ears on December 10 at 12:55 p.m.
When you wish upon a star….

And I thought popularity contest were for the senior class president.

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About this blog

D.F. Oliveria is a columnist and blogger for The Spokesman-Review. Huckleberries Online was judged the best 2008 Idaho newspaper blog by the Idaho Press Club. And the best 2007 news blog in the Pacific Northwest by the Society for Professional Journalist. Print Huckleberries is a past winner of the Herb Caen Memorial Column contest by the National Association of Newspaper Columnists. The Readership Institute of Northwestern University cited this blog as a good example of online community journalism.