HuffPost Editor Roy Sekoff On Joy Behar Show Debates Reagan Vs. Obama: Who Deserved Peace Prize? (VIDEO)

HuffPost Editor Roy Sekoff was a guest on The Joy Behar Show tonight, along with KT McFarland, a former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense in the Reagan administration, to discuss the Nobel Peace Prize being awarded to President Obama.

Sekoff and McFarland also debated who is more worthy of the honor: Reagan or Obama. Let us know what you think in the comments.

WATCH:

Comments

[HitnMyths]

If there was a Nobel for renewed hope and the rebirth of sanity, a return to the eminence of diplomacy, the respect for treaties, the return to normalcy in international relations, the admission of truth in the
previous eight years of US policy (what the righties call the apology tour but what is actually an acknowledgement of the stupid cowboy approach of W) and the collective sigh and hope of the world that
W''s insanities and venal actions were over and the US would return to the adult leadership of the world
we usually illustrated - well, if there was such a Nobel Obama would have won that. But there isn't - that
award name won't fit on the coin. The committee settled for awarding the Peace Prize.
Reagan's traitorous deal with the Ayatollah rendered him eligible only for the Benedict Arnold Prize.

[blueshield]

It's a silly question - Reagan deserves the Nobel Prize for Economics, for promoting the "Trickle Down" smoke screen used to justify moving public and private assets into the hand of a tiny fraction of the population.

It initiated the greatest mass transfer of wealth in history, and the current global economic upheaval.

You may say that all he did was give speeches - but Ronnie successfully sold the idea that the poor and middle class could live rich and large by supporting tax cuts and special treatment to the investment banking and securities industries.

And here we are today. What a legacy.

[somsoc]

Bonzo Reagan, while probably the only one to occupy the WH who was less qualified than GWB, did some amazing things. Bonzo did a backdoor deal with Iran to get the hostages released upon his being sworn in, that deal was a felony. Bonzo continued to act in violation of numerous Constitutional provisions and statutory act with his implementation of the Iran-Contra Plan and the resulting obstruction of justice. Bonzo set the stage in Afganistan by arming and training what is now the Taliban, just for the purpose of causing trouble for the Soviets... the US had no vested interests there and no treaty or reason to act.

[Edmonsky]

That President Ronald Reagan was responsible for ending cold war is pure Republican myth that flies in the face of commonsense.

President Reagan had no hand in electing reformist Gorbachev the General Secretary by the Politburo in 1985.

The end of Cold War came about by the attempt of Gorbachev to restructure Soviet economy after the stagnant Brezhnev years. To achieve that, he introduced perestroika (reconstruction) and glasnost (openness).

Lo Behold, prior to all these, President Reagan spent time demonizing Soviet Union by calling them “Evil Empire”. It took the intervention of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher to put a leash on Reagan by advising him that Gobachev was the man the West can do business with.

Gobachev was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1990.

[kkrimmer]

I love the part in Moore's movie where Treasury Secretary Donald Regan tells President Reagan to "hurry up" when he's giving a speech ... everyone gasped then laughed out loud... what a puppet he was.

I can just see Geithner telling Obama to "hurry up" during an Obama speech, I think not.

[zest]

Reagan and Bush made war. This is a peace prize.

[pastorcheryl]

OBAMA, OBAMA, OBAMA HANDS DOWN!!! GET OVER IT REPUBS!!! GEEZ!!!

[dfranz]

Now that I've heard how wonderful Ronald Regan was and how he personally saved millions of Europeans and Latin Americans and Grenadans, what can I say besides thank you Mr Regan for doubling my payroll taxes and fighting clandestine wars in my name?

They have finally convinced me that his head needs to be up on Mt Rushmore. Unfortunately they don't have enough space left there to be able to carve something that big.

[gawkhawk]

I am sick of this revisionist history. Reagan as a President deserving of the Nobel Peace Prize is a complete joke. Our kids are going to grow up reading books or hearing about US historical figures in complete contrast from reality. Reagan reigned over a time when our country was in deep financial trouble, increasing war tensions, wide spread poverty, corruption, civil unrest and on and on and on. Reagan was a crook and he should have been imprisoned, or at least impeached.

[warriorpatriot]

you are right he got it all from jimmy carter . i bet in school they are teaching how great jimmy carter was ........

[bgofca]

regan made the debt much worse and also did a lot to ruin our international status with the world with his "secret and illegal wars". He was good at making speeches and twisting the truth. He is given too much credit for the fall of the berlin wall and the soviet union. Our great amount of speeding on star wars and missile systems (many which have never been accurate.) made those countries spend themselves into financial ruin and then they fell.
Regan was a heartless ass. He started the policy of turning down anyone who applied for government assistant ( for the handicapped or disabled) hoping that a great number wouldn't reapply and save money for the gov. He released the mentally ill out of state hospitals, many ended up living on the streets. He cut funding for handicapped children. he was not a good person.

[larce1948]

Reagan has become a cult figure. He was an actor and not the worst ever so he could act like the President. Who knows when the dementia really was a factor or the influence of Nancy and her Astrologer? I cannot forgive the carnage he wrought on Central America and he was just lucky he had Gorbachev to deal with. Reagan had been totally misled by the CIA and the MIC that the Soviets were an awesome powerhouse when they were actually on the verge of collapse. Sure, I would have had a beer with the guy but President? No Thanks.

[Sevilleaba]

It has always been my opinion that Mikhail Gorbachev deserves the most credit for ending the cold war and that Reagan was the primary political beneficiary of Gorbachev decisions. In fact, Reagan sorted admitted the same at a 1988 press conference in Moscow.

"Reagan himself went even farther. Asked at a press conference in Moscow in 1988, his last year in office, about the role he played in the great drama of the late 20th century, he described himself essentially as a supporting actor. "Mr. Gorbachev," he said, "deserves most of the credit, as the leader of this country."

This quotation was much cited at the time as an example of Reagan's graciousness, tact and self-deprecation.

The 40th president of the United States emerges here not as a geopolitical visionary who jettisoned the supposedly accommodationist policies of containment and detente, but as an archpragmatist and operational optimist who adjusted his own attitudes and conduct in order to encourage a new kind of Kremlin leader.

[gespenster]

Arguing "Acts" versus "words," are not as worthy of the Nobel is ludicrous.

The Nobel website says the time of consideration is the "preceding year(s)." He campaigned the previous year and missed several Senate votes and was nominated 2 weeks into the presidency.

He won for NOT being a Republican in the wake of the Bush-Era.

Any warm blooded biped that was capable of wearing a tux could have done the same.

[Reality Czech]

you want to credit a U.S. President for hastening the demise of the Soviet Union?

Look to Richard Milhous Nixon.

[CP18]

Wow, he's responsible for hastening the demise of the American Union, too!
Way to go, Tricky Dick!

[dfranz]

Well I can say for certainty that he hastened the demise of his own presidency.

[warriorpatriot]

kt slam dunk joy and roy giving fact after fact on reagan and they dismissed it like it was no big deal, they just look for the negatives ,that was incredible .kt is one great lady to the point and funny how joy keep saying the world dosn't hate us anymore as if thats will be his greatest feat.obama is nowhere near the greatness of ronald reagan but time will tell ..... rr should have gotten that npp ....

[bgofca]

regan was not a good president. The repubs have rewritten history to try to make it appear that he was this great leader. Many of us were alive then and we remember a much different story. Besides the secret and illegal wars ( i guess having bush the elder around and his influence from the CIA might have something to do with that.) He spent us into debt with star wars and missile systems that are not very accurate, despite the propaganda that he made us safer. He was an even worse domestic president. He stopped people with a severely handicapped child from being aborted and demanded that these babies be kept alive with heroic measures, saying that these babies should be allowed to have a life, however, he made large cuts to programs for handicapped children and did nothing to help the families or the babies born with horrible and sometimes painful conditions.
He was also the first champion for deregulation. The airlines have been less safe due to cuts to the air traffic control (ask anyone who works there).

[jsgaetano]

Considering Reagan was a hatemonger and a warmonger.­.. it's not hard to consider whether he deserves a Nobel Peace Prize.

If anything, he overwhelmingly deserved to be impeached.

[CP18]

don't forget race baiter - he started his 1980 campaign in Philadelphia, Miss., site of the kidnap & murder of 3 civil rights workers in the 1960s - arguing for "states-rights" (read government-enforced racism).

[OldBro70]

Please don't forget his statement" The homeless like to sleep on the sidewalk grating where there is heat,"

Or how about "The shining city on the hill"

Remember this golden gem from the lips of The Great Communicator

About the welfare queen who is driving her Cadillac as she shops for groceries using her food stamps.

[bgofca]

I agree. The repubs always try to rewrite history...­just like bush and cheney have been trying to do in the past year.