Neocon Europe-bashing, especially its theocon chapter, always produced in me an opposite, possibly equally kneejerk, reaction. Europe’s reluctance to start wars was an understandable and hardly blameworthy reaction to its 20th century bloodbaths, I thought, its secularism a welcome development, and its high level of middle-class safety net spending its own business (which does not seem to have hurt Germany in the current global recession).
But this preposterous Nobel Peace award, which represents nothing more than a self-indulgent kick-in-the-butt to George Bush, makes me think that the Europhobes were on to something.
Preposterous is right. I voted for Obama. (Sorry. I just couldn’t stomach that Palin person.) But he hasn’t even had time to earn that kind of award and hasn’t done much with the time he’s had. This just makes the Nobel Committee look like fools. At least, it does to me.
I think you’re only half right. It is widely believed in Europe that Obama is sticking it to the “land-stealin’ kikes” of Israel and perfidious Jews everywhere. This endears him to the European elite. Remember: anyone who fights the Jews is fighting for peace. That’s what too many in Britain and Europe believe, with more and more expressing this sentiment openly. What a world.
Whilst Obama hasn’t yet brought peace to Afghanistan, Iraq or Israel/Palestine yet, let’s not overlook his very real peace making talents he showed at the Beer Summit back in August.
Oh, that’s right, the Beer Summit. Now it makes sense. Best. Nobel. Evah.
@Ross
He also bombed the moon today. That should make him a frontrunner for next year’s Physics prize.
yeah, this is ridiculous.
Remember: anyone who fights the Jews is fighting for peace.
europeans are anti-israel, not anti-jewish. britain and france have large jewish populations (sarkozy is 1/4 jewish). i’m pretty skeptical of the urban myth during the height of “warblogging” that europe was becoming anti-semitic (as opposed to its muslim minorities).
Yeah, a lot of the left in the US is also going WTF? on this one. There have been years where no Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded and that would have been a better choice. Maybe if he had a lot of accomplishments in a few years, it might have made sense then. But this looks just ridiculous.
yeah, look at PZ myers:
i know this award is heavily politicized, but this is ridiculous: Barack Obama has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for 2009. I don’t think Obama’s efforts for peace have been particularly notable — the wars still drag on with no end or even promise of an end in sight, and there has been some sabre-rattling over Iran from his administration lately — but I guess all you have to do is follow after Bush and not blow anything up for a year, and presto, you look like Gandhi.
Oh, well. It’s definitely more appropriate than the award to Kissinger, but that isn’t saying much.
Thinking about, it’s actually a neat Machiavellian move on the part of the Nobel Committee and, by extension, the European Left. The imprimatur of a Nobel Peace prize really wouldn’t mean much to a guy like Bush, but to Obama it’s big. It’s why he couldn’t turn it down, even when he knew his winning it was a joke. Now, the Euroleft has a potent psychological weapon when he goes off script. They can say he’s failing to live up to his Nobel. Again, Dubya would shrug that off (one good thing I can say for him), but for Obama, that sort of thing will sting.
“all you have to do is follow after Bush and not blow anything up for a year, and presto, you look like Gandhi.”
Better than Gandhi, because Gandhi never won a Peace Prize.
Believe it or not, this silly choice by the Nobel committee is a good thing for conservatives. This is blatant evidence that the people that award the peace prize are simple leftist hacks. There is no use pretending that getting the peace prize is something praiseworthy. When they come out with a nobel freedom prize, let me know.
i’m pretty skeptical of the urban myth during the height of “warblogging” that europe was becoming anti-semitic (as opposed to its muslim minorities).
Europe attacks Israel because Israel embraces a virile nationalism that Europe has come to disdain-to put it mildly- for itself. When attacking Israel it is supporting its new PC-muticulti-Cultural Marxist regime and rejecting what it sees as its own imperialist, militarist,racist past.