Obama Awarded 2009 Nobel Peace Prize
The President Receiving the Prestigious Award Has People Talking
Oct 10, 2009
After the announcement of the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize going to Barack Obama, much of the sentiment across the nation has been, “why?” and “how?”
Rush Limbaugh has already derided Obama and the Prize saying, “Liberal sellouts get this prize...He's [Obama] basically emasculating this country, and they [liberal Europeans] applauded today with this award. They love a weakened, neutered United States, and this is their way of promoting the concept...”
According to the Nobel Peace Prize website, Alfred Nobel required that the prize go to "the person who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses." The prize was awarded to Obama "for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples."
The resonating “how” and “why” questions come based mainly upon the feeling that Obama is all talk, and no action.
But Obama understands that he did not get this award for his actions. He said in his acceptance speech, “I do not view it as a recognition of my own accomplishments, but rather as an affirmation of American leadership on behalf of aspirations held by people in all nations.”
He went on to say “I know that throughout history, the Nobel Peace Prize has not just been used to honor specific achievement; it's also been used as a means to give momentum to a set of causes. And that is why I will accept this award as a call to action -- a call for all nations to confront the common challenges of the 21st century.”
It seems clear that Obama is not getting this award for any specific action, but rather for his words that have been a catalyst for the change that he hopes for; the change that the world is looking for.
Since his campaign, Obama has not been about leading by example, but about leading by inspiration. His famous “Yes We Can” slogan that invigorated the public is a far cry from a “Yes I Will” or “Yes I Did.” Obama's words are only empty statements if the population of America is unwilling to fulfill them.
Conservatives are measuring Obama’s qualification of this award on his accomplishments and feel he has come up short. Liberals can say he deserves it for what he has done thus far, and what he is going to do in the future. The truth is, neither perspective fully recognizes “why” Obama was bestowed with this honor. This year, the award was given not to commend an action, but to affirm a strong and promising symbol of peace.
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