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Liberals astonished by Obama Nobel

By: Michael Barone
Senior Political Analyst
10/09/09 12:07 PM EDT

The awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to Barack Obama is astonishing. The best grade even the most sympathetic grader could give him in this, his ninth month in office, is “Incomplete.” Predictably, many conservative commentators have reacted negatively to the Nobel committee’s decision. But, more interestingly, so have many liberals. Some juicy examples:
 
Mickey Kaus (who calls on Obama to politely decline the honor).
 
Peter Beinart, former editor of the New Republic (“this is a farce”).
 
New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof (“very premature”).
 
Ruth Marcus of the Washington Post (“ridiculous—embarrassing, even”).
 
● Columnist Richard Cohen (“the Pulitzer Prize for literature went to Sarah Palin for her stated intention ‘to read a book someday’”).
 
Washington Post blogger Ezra Klein (“Obama also awarded Nobel Prize for Chemistry. ‘He’s just got great chemistry,’ Nobel committee says”) .
 
Gabriel Rachman of the Financial Times (“slightly premature,” “very odd timing”).
 
When Saturday Night Live led off its broadcast last weekend with an Obama parody in which the putative president says he has accomplished nothing, CNN’s Wolf Blitzer felt obliged to run a fact-check segment on it, as Jonah Goldberg has amusedly noted. Was the Nobel committee’s decision just another response to SNL?




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Okpulot Taha

Oct 9, 2009

I was unaware ACORN is active in Norway.

No doubt Obama was surprised to have a Nobel Prize fall out of his Cracker Jack box.

Okpulot Taha
Choctaw Nation
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brewpop

Oct 9, 2009

No one could be more "astonished" than much of the American public. I think there's one huge collective head shake going on here. But, look out. Mr. Obama says the award is his "call to action." Heaven help us all if he re-doubles his efforts in the name of the Nobel Dolts.

 

moptop

Oct 9, 2009

They obviously bribed the wrong Scandinavians. That money was meant for Copenhagen, not Oslo.

 

Ohiolad

Oct 9, 2009

Because this award has not been based on any obvious real accomplishment, it will be seen as a further cheapening of the value of the Nobel Peace prize. Perhaps it should be discontinued?

 

pupista

Oct 10, 2009

It's "Gideon" Rachman, not Gabriel, although I'm sure he wouldn't turn down the promotion. *wink!*

- pupista! (barking mad on the right)

 

Dr. T

Oct 13, 2009

Mahatma Gandhi was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize five times between 1937 and 1948 but never received the award. Mother Teresa received it only after 31 years of serving "the poorest of the poor." I'm thinking it may have been premature to award it to President Obama. Of course, I almost won it myself this year, but five nominees finished ahead of me (see http://oharaglobal.blogspot.com/).

I'm happy to say that I'm still in the running to win the Nobel Prize in Economics. On a number of occasions, I have said that I hope the economy turns around ... and I haven't done anything to quadruple the national debt. That's got to put me in the early lead! :O)

 

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