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AP Photo/Gerald Herber
In this Oct. 9 file photo, President Barack Obama speaks about being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington.
Published: October 13, 2009
OSLO (AP)—Members of the Norwegian committee that gave Barack Obama the Nobel Peace Prize are strongly defending their choice against a storm of criticism that the award was premature and a potential liability for the U.S. president.
Asked to comment on the uproar following Friday’s announcement, four members of the five-seat panel told The Associated Press that they had expected the decision to generate both surprise and criticism.
Three of them rejected the notion that Obama hadn’t accomplished anything to deserve the award, while the fourth declined to answer that question. A fifth member didn’t answer calls seeking comment.
“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 Strasbourg, where he was attending meetings in his other role as secretary-general of the Council of Europe.
Aagot Valle, a left-wing Norwegian politician who joined the Nobel panel this year, also dismissed suggestions that the decision to award Obama was without merit.
“Don’t you think that comments like that patronize Obama? Where do these people come from?“ Valle said by phone from the western coastal city of Bergen. “Well, of course, all arguments have to be considered seriously. I’m not afraid of a debate on the peace prize decision. That’s fine.“
In Friday’s announcement, the committee said giving Obama the peace prize could be seen as an early vote of confidence intended to build global support of the policies of his young administration.
The left-leaning committee whose members are appointed by the Norwegian Parliament lauded the change in global mood wrought by Obama’s calls for peace and cooperation, and praised his pledges to reduce the world stock of nuclear arms, ease U.S. conflicts with Muslim nations and strengthen the country’s role in combating climate change.
However, the decision stunned even the most seasoned Nobel watchers. They hadn’t expected Obama, who took office barely two weeks before the Feb. 1 nomination deadline, to be seriously considered until at least next year.
Reader Reactions
“All these things have contributed to - I wouldn’t say a safer world - but a world with less tension,“ Jagland said
What in the world is this? So he created less tension but we are no safer. Does this mean we will all be less stressed out when Iran threatens Israel again and N. Korea shoots more missiles over Japan? Only humans can develop logic and then shred it so completely.
I think they should give Obama the Heisman Trophy. After all, he did watch a college football game this past Saturday.
&wins;@ 6:20 pm: “The irony is that we are discussing czars and communism in the same administration.“
Well okay, sure, he has created positions for a lot of czars. But tell me, how many TSARS has he appointed, hmmm? That’s right, none, thank you very much.
So there.
As for criticizing Mr. Obama, he had an opportunity for a huge political win on this. He could and should have refused the award recognizing those who are far more worthy.
The response from Lech Walesa was very telling. You might recall that he won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1983 as leader in opposition to communism in Poland.
Thank you for your love. I appreciate that and assure you that it is not unrequited. “He openly admits he isn’t sure…” So, he thinks he might be worthy but does not know for sure or why? Brilliant. Interesting too that the support for the selection committee in the article is for things that he “did” after the nomination period. The clairvoyant abilities of the nominating committee are impressive even if their selection is not. He was nominated 11 days into office. For which of his campaign speeches did he merit this award? Perhaps it was on the strength of the reading abilities that won him a couple of Grammys? So much for the “clearly stated reasons”.
Yes, I do have a sound understanding of communism (although I do appreciate your recognition of my wordmelding abilities). Where would you like to start that discussion? Shall we go to the obvious Communist Manifesto and discuss Marx and Engels or perhaps we should move to earlier thinkers like Rousseau. Maybe we could discuss the impact of/on communism as it relates to the workers movements during the industrial revolution in Europe? How about the application of communism in Asia or the Africa? Per chance the recent rise of communism in Latin America catches your fancy? Maybe we could chat concerning the impact of communism as it rapes individuals of both wealth and rights across the globe. Philosophical or practical application, the choice is yours.
The irony is that we are discussing czars and communism in the same administration. Czar Nicholas II is laughing somewhere all be it through the bullet holes.
I would also like to remind you that we have had other presidents besides Mr. Bush and Mr. Obama. Certainly Mr. Obama and his party members have greater aspirations than simply not be Mr. Bush. “So did Bush” and “Better than Bush” are really silly responses to criticisms of the current administration.
Given that the nominating period is in February, it is fairly easy to see that he does not have the time to perform any task worthy of the award in the next few months. That would be one year. Further, given the trends, proposals and speeches we have since Mr. Obama has taken office, there is little reason for hope. Not stubborn ignorance, just examining the limited body of evidence we have.
Really! It’s unfair to criticize Obama for the Nobel Peace Prize. The Nobel Prize committee deserves to be excoriated for its choice and rationalization (it should be called the UnBush Prize), but not Obama - he didn’t do anything worthy of criticizing. There are plenty of other things he is doing that do deserve criticism, but not for the Nobel Prize.
Obama as “Master of the Universe” - really? I love the opponents who think Obama received the Peace Prize without merit and address their anger towards him - as if Obama elected and awarded the prize to himself. He openly admits he isn’t sure if he deserved the prize on his accomplishments to date, but sees it as a call to action. If you want to be angry, direct your hostility to the panel who voted for him. Oh, and the committee does not expect you to believe that Obama “simply… being elected” is why he received the Peace Prize. The article clearly states their reasons.
And do you even know what communism is? You think that just because you can push two words together and make a cutesy new “word,“ you’re clever? And to talk about czars - Bush appointed czars long before Obama even ran for President, so that really isn’t a dig at Obama.
All of this being said, I also believe that the award was given prematurely, but for very different reasons than have been brought up on here. For you to say that Obama will still not have done anything of any value by next year just shows the stubborn ignorance that has infected Obama critics.
I appreciate the warning. Still, I remain a committed opponent to Obommunism. Obommunism = the application of communist philosophies as applied by Barack Obama and his supporters.
Obama already is the Master Of The Universe. He has appointed a Czar to make sure that there is no resistance. Don’t criticize him or you will be labeled a racist by the liberals.
I agree with the conclusion. They should have waited until next year when Mr. Obama still will have done nothing of value. I am amazed that the committee expects us to believe simply by being elected, Mr. Obama should receive the Nobel Peace Prize. By next week he should be name Master of the Universe.
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