OMG Obama!
Oct. 9th, 2009 09:04 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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shocolate is an even keener refresher of news sites than I am, which is how she broke the news to me that Barack Obama has been awarded the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize.And for anyone wondering why, this, and living up to this:
To my mind, he is the type of American who represents the America I imagined when I was young, and thought of it as a country that could do anything it set its mind to it. And I rather love the fact I started believing that when Americans landed on the moon and that tonight American satellites are going to drop onto the moon's crust to look for confirmation of water. And while I do point out that America can suck, it can, as it says, also rock.
ETA: As I predicted to Mr Brammers a few hours ago, media coverage is running down expected lines. The Times is expressing the decision as a 'Shock' and declared it a political decision (yes, because that has NEVER happened before!); the Sydney Morning Herald is saying that while the decision was a surprise the committee and other laureates were excited about it and it was a firm endorsement of Obama's policies of multulateralism and support for human rights; The New York Times calls it a surprise move, and speaks about the award being given on the basis of some work achieved and more committed to, as well as the cultural shift being as important as the concrete achievements so far. The last is also the only paper I've looked at so far that has comments from the White House -- and a terrific little blog of world reactions.
I was backing Hu Jia for this year's prize, and I do grant you that it is early to give it to Obama, who wasn't even on my prediction list. That said, I am good with early if it's followed up, and he is very good at the follow up. And it's nice to see the Norwegians indulge a little bit of optimism, I haven't seen that in the global climate since Gorby was about.
This weekend's papers will be interesting!
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Date: 2009-10-09 10:31 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-10-09 10:36 am (UTC)Miss Button can notch that one up on her oldies and Social Networking report, too ;-)
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Date: 2009-10-09 10:53 am (UTC)(it's been a while)
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Date: 2009-10-09 10:58 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-10-09 11:27 am (UTC)=)
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Date: 2009-10-09 11:36 am (UTC)I agree he is good for the US. And 80% of Americans want a public option. Just saying ...
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Date: 2009-10-09 11:43 am (UTC)Maybe his opponents will shut up for a little while now (too much to hope for?) and let him get on with things.
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Date: 2009-10-09 11:47 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-10-09 11:52 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-10-09 02:11 pm (UTC)i think i lack the excitement that i really want to have because i know this is only going to add fuel to the fire to the overly obnoxious and loud skeptics of obama (i.e. douche news...i mean FOX news) ;)
edited to use my funky afro!obama icon.
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Date: 2009-10-09 02:14 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-10-09 02:19 pm (UTC)nevermind. :D
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Date: 2009-10-09 02:22 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-10-09 02:30 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-10-09 02:16 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-10-09 02:21 pm (UTC)Hahaha that just made me have a Coffee Talk with Linda Richman moment: Fox News is neither news, nor foxy. Discuss!
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Date: 2009-10-09 02:25 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-10-09 02:26 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-10-09 02:29 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-10-09 02:30 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-10-09 02:32 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-10-09 02:20 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-10-09 02:26 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-10-09 02:29 pm (UTC)I did a speech on Alfred Nobel and the origins of the prizes in college, and I'm always amazing by how many people don't know the story behind them, or why he even made provisions for it in his will. It's a very interesting story.
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Date: 2009-10-10 02:09 am (UTC)I love the early obituary shock. Poor Alfred Nobel, but what a good response!
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Date: 2009-10-09 08:14 pm (UTC)BTW, why Norwegians?
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Date: 2009-10-09 08:39 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-10-10 02:08 am (UTC)In 2009 he has managed to hugely rework the relationship between the Islamic nations of the world and the US, he has brought Iran back to disarmament talks, defused Russian moves to heightened aggression with the ending of the Star Wars programme and moved to end the US involvement in the war in Iraq.
To which one of her flist added that I had forgotten closing Guantanamo Bay, which was also a movement towards lower geopolitical tension around the world.
I think that it would be almost impossible for a man in his position to decline it, because it would look like a deliberate snub to some people. Remember that in the history of the prize there has been only one person decline it, so it is not a small thing to do so.
His language that he does not feel he has done enough to deserve it, but that he will use it as a call to service for himself and others is the best diplomatic response he can make, and I think the most accurate.
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Date: 2009-10-16 12:50 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-10-12 12:52 am (UTC)The media is so special...
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Date: 2009-10-16 12:48 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-10-16 12:55 pm (UTC)