The Anti-Bush Nobel Peace Prize

I think they gave this Nobel peace prize to Obama less because of what he's done so far and more for not being Bush. And it's well deserved.

Conservatives seemed to be outraged that this is partly a snub of Bush. Yes, it is. And well deserved.

Bush was a warmonger who started a disastrous and completely unnecessary war in Iraq. But worst yet, he established the first-strike doctrine, which is as antithetical to peace as any act can be. It says you can attack any country that you view to be a vague threat to you in any way. Well, that's what starts endless wars. If this was a snub of that policy and that president, then it could not have been better placed.

Obama shouldn't have won for what he did but he should win for replacing the most anti-peace leader that we have seen in a long time. Is Bush a worse warmonger than Saddam Hussein, who started two wars against Iran and Kuwait? No. But he is more important because he represents the leadership of the developed world. If he turns the developed world from protectors of the peace to the purveyors of war, that does more damage than any one Saddam Hussein.

Barack Obama has promised to go in the opposite direction by consulting our allies, committing to diplomacy, reaching out to the Muslim world, not carrying out first strikes and ending the war in Iraq. Going in the opposite direction of Bush should be rewarded. And, of course, this is an honor he shares with the American people. This is a way that the Nobel committee is thanking the American people for choosing peace.

If conservatives are mad at that, sad day for them. Maybe they should reconsider whether it's wise to be the senseless war party.

It wasn't that long ago that they weren't. What no one seems to remember is that the original Bush Doctrine was his father's -- and it was the exact opposite. Say what you want about the "real" reasons for the first Persian Gulf War, but the precedent that H.W. Bush was establishing was that one country cannot unilaterally attack another. And precedent matters. There could have been an argument made that he should have won a Nobel Peace Prize for that (though he might have had to give it back when his progeny completely overturned his precedent).

But the Republican Party of today is this weird amalgamation of the bitter, the dispossessed, the angry and the violent. So, excuse us if we don't take your indignation too seriously. And next time you talk about the President of the United States a little respect is in order. That's your Commander in Chief who just won that award that for his country and its citizens. So, next time a crisp salute will do and then you can be on your way.

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Comments

[Wendy Johnson]

I think there's a little more to Obama's win. I think he's getting it for more than just not being Bush. His speech in Cairo this summer was historic. He didn't go as far as I'd have liked in the direction of Palestinian rights, but he went pretty damn far for a sitting President. And he acknowledged the US role in unseating the popular government in Iran in the 50's. And he was very up-front with respect for Islam and the Arab world. It's still just talking, but it's talking that turns away from a tradition that goes earlier than just George W. Bush.

[JLocke2010]

Chalk one up to the non-achievers. One more lesson to teach the kids that hard work and achievement doesn't pay off......smooth talking does.

Congratulations Mr. Obama.

[SoldDowntheRiver]

Reasoned, well thought out speech is now called "smooth talking". By this logic our former president is right up there with Lincoln don't you think? Maybe the right should develop an Anti-Nobel prize for endless, tragic, elective war. Our former president would definitely be in the top running for that one

[Wendy Johnson]

What, you didn't know that already? You weren't watching, I guess, when Bush won the Presidency twice in a row, against Republicans, Democrats and third party candidates who had all achieved more by their hard work than he did in his lifetime.

...Of course the man can't put two words together fluently, even with speechwriters. I guess that's why you don't see the parallel.

[JLocke2010]

I agree. Mr Obama doesn't seem to be able put two words together without his teleprompter.

What has his speech accomplished?

[S1m0n]

It's more than just 'don't be Bush."

We're living in an a transformational era. The role of the US and its relations with the rest of the world is changing, greatly. The post cold war era is drawing to a close, and a new ear in which China, the EU, and the rising, Brasil-lead South American bloc join the US as the new the heavyweights is beginning. Obama both embodies and has embraced that change.

The same forces were at play during the Bush 43 presidency, but his was a reactionary presidency . Bush managed to hemorrhage huge amounts of American power by trying to resist what has proven to be irresistable change. (Why do I suddenly hear Nancy Reagan shrieking, "Just say, 'NOW!'")

Obama's peace prize is a case of the academy trying to send the clearest signal they can that Obama has set US back on the right trick after the disastrous eight years of Bush.

[MIVOTE]

Does saying it's an antiBush Prize make folk feel bettter. Maybe it is what it is....given to who it is because of his own message and merit. F-Bush

[S1m0n]

Obama's Peace Prize is more than just "don't be Bush."

We're living in an era of transformation. The role of the US and its relations with the rest of the world is changing, greatly and rapidly. The post cold war era is drawing to a close, and a new ear in which China, the EU, and the rising, Brasil-lead South American bloc join the US as the new the heavyweights is beginning. Obama both embodies and has embraced that change.

The same forces were at play during the Bush 43 presidency, but his was a reactionary presidency. Bush managed to hemorrhage huge amounts of American power by trying to resist what has proven to be irresistable change. (Why do I suddenly hear Nancy Reagan shrieking, "Just say, 'NOW!'")

Obama's peace prize is a case of the academy trying to send the clearest signal they can that Obama has set US back on the right trick after the disastrous eight years of Bush.

[UpstateNY]

But the Republican Party of today is this weird amalgamation of the bitter, the dispossessed, the angry and the violent. So, excuse us if we don't take your indignation too seriously. And next time you talk about the President of the United States a little respect is in order. That's your Commander in Chief who just won that award that for his country and its citizens. So, next time a crisp salute will do and then you can be on your way.

This paragraph says it all for me - AMEN!

[codycap]

When Kissenger won the prize I kind of lost interest.

[CessnaDriver]

Didn't Kissie co-win the prize with Le Duc Toe (sp?)?

[mylittlepwny]

"Going in the opposite direction of Bush should be rewarded."

Is that all it takes to receive a peace prize these days? Forgive me if I am wrong but isnt afganistan on the verge of escalation and guantanimo is open for business still?

[bugsbonzai]

Yes, that's it. Because reversing what Bush did is a monumental task I don't think you can fathom in your deepest nightmares, and it will take YEARS to undo, if not decades. Obama has done more in eight months to reverse the violent course of the Bush years than I thought humanly possible. And it's only the start. Change isn't instant, change is progressive. But change is coming, steadily and convincingly. If Obama continues on this pace, he may just clean up the horrors Bush unleashed upon America and the world by the time his first term is over. It's sad that Obama has to spend four years playing janitor to the pile of debris left behind by the previous resident of Pennsylvania Ave.

[CanadianBeef]

It shows how bad Bush was, that all Obama had to do to win a peace prize was to seem like a rational, reasonable person. But I think there should be a much higher standard for the prize. It should be for what you have done, not for what you haven't done. Nikita Kruschez seemed reasonable after Josef Stalin died. That did not mean Kruschev what a great guy.

[DickClark]

On the day President Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize the United States bombed the moon for scientific research.

It did not bomb a foreign country in order to convert it to democracy.

That is why President Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize.....after all it is a Peace Prize.

That is why President Obama deserves the Nobel Peace Prize.



Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/10/09/nobel-prize-to-obama-defe_n_316098.html

[trendsetteryeah]

Love your writings. You always write with clarity of expression and thought. Thank you.

[Lisette]

Obama won this for the person that he is.
Obama really wants world peace
He is a good guy the whole world loves him
except for John McCain and the rest of the Republican fools.

[Tugkan Suer]

Cenk,

I totally agree.

You make me proud as a Turk.

Keep up the good work, and good luck with your adventure in the media jungle.

Tugkan von Stockholm

[MarkOates]

Cenk Uygur FTW!!!

[karen1p]

I think Obama won the prize because the world genuinely likes him....and hated Bush. Which I agree.

During the Bush years I went overseas and everyone from the States encouraged me to tell people I was from Canada. When I discussed this issue to the Europeans they thought that was hilarious and so was I (as long as I did not vote for Bush, I was in.)

[jrjones529]

I'd rather a one term president who does great things against incredible odds than a two term Bush.