Obama accepts his Peace Prize

Well today is the day, Obama picked up his Peace Prize in Norway.

Full transcript of his Nobel Prize acceptance speech can be found here. It’s a long one so I won’t repost it here. Needless to say, it is typical Obama with America bashing included:

…The world rallied around America after the 9/11 attacks, and continues to support our efforts in Afghanistan, because of the horror of those senseless attacks and the recognized principle of self-defense. Likewise, the world recognized the need to confront Saddam Hussein when he invaded Kuwait — a consensus that sent a clear message to all about the cost of aggression.

Furthermore, America cannot insist that others follow the rules of the road if we refuse to follow them ourselves. For when we don’t, our action can appear arbitrary, and undercut the legitimacy of future intervention — no matter how justified.

This becomes particularly important when the purpose of military action extends beyond self-defense or the defense of one nation against an aggressor…

How the man can accept the prize with a straight face is beyond me. At least he did acknowledge his lack of accomplishments for the prize. 

I receive this honor with deep gratitude and great humility. It is an award that speaks to our highest aspirations – that for all the cruelty and hardship of our world, we are not mere prisoners of fate. Our actions matter, and can bend history in the direction of justice.

And yet I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge the considerable controversy that your generous decision has generated. In part, this is because I am at the beginning, and not the end, of my labors on the world stage. Compared to some of the giants of history who have received this prize – Schweitzer and King; Marshall and Mandela – my accomplishments are slight. 

I think I would go a little further and say that his accomplishments are non-existent, but hey that is just I. The again, a local Norwegian reported asked Obama about how he felt about his "premature" Nobel Prize.

I am glad to see that the Nobel Prize committee has complete egg on their faces now that Obama has sent 30,000 troops to Afghanistan and has completely dissed the people of Norway by canceling many of the Peace Prize events, including lunch with the King. This is what you get when you try to make political snubs instead of awarding true achievement.

CNN has a poll out showing 19% of Americans believe Obama deserves the prize. Yet 7 out of 10 believe he should accept it. I think he should have accepted too, but for someone more deserving. I would have accepted the prize on behalf of the American Soldier who has actually brought peace to many nations of the world. Not only would that have made Obama look like a bigger person, it would have been the perfect slap in the face of the Nobel Prize committee for their foolishness.

Via: The New York Times 

Via: The Guardian 

Via: CNN

Via: Political Punch