Nobel Peace Prize Seen in a New Light

(CBS)  I would doubt anyone goes to bed praying they'll be awarded a Nobel Peace Prize.

The kind of people who win the prize are not usually the kind who do what they do because they want to win a prize.

And I would guess that no one at the White House was praying for the President to win the Nobel just yet.

Not because they are selfless, humble souls whose only goal is to help humanity, but because they are very good professional politicians who would know better than most of us that an undeserved accolade has a high probability of backfire.

For the record, I generally agree with the President's approach on foreign policy, but the Nobel Committee did him no favors by giving him the award before he had anything to show for his efforts.

It's like a parent doing a child's homework. Sure, you love the kid, but telling the teacher he needs an A before he turns in his work doesn't quite get it.

So instead of cheers, the President gets to take his lumps - reactions of incredulity, laughter, sarcasm, Republicans accusing him of being all talk and no action, Democrats accusing Republicans of siding with the enemy (which is what Republicans used to accuse Democrats of!), and on and on it goes.

I am not one who believes this will cause the President to rethink any of the difficult decisions he faces on foreign policy.

What the Nobel Committee has managed to change, and I am sorry to say it, is the way we look on the prize.

[cidaia]

My first reaction was to think it was a joke. When I finally understood that, yes, really, Obama is getting the prize, my first-then reaction was to think, 'if I had won the Nobel Peace Prize I'd be soooo mad!'

Because, yes, obviously, it does cheapen the prize.

[azdesertpalm]

So Schieffer is going to look down on all new recipients of the Nobel Peace Prize just because President Obama received it this year. Sounds like Schieffer is getting old and grouchy.

Watch how easy he's going to be on McCain this Sunday. I bet he never asks McCain why he voted against:

Amdt. No. 2588; To prohibit the use of funds for any Federal contract with Halliburton Company, KBR, Inc., any of their subsidiaries or affiliates, or any other contracting party if such contractor or a subcontractor at any tier under such contract requires that employees or independent contractors sign mandatory arbitration clauses regarding certain claims.

Which was a vote to deny a woman gang raped due process.

google "Court Okays Halliburton Rape Trial"

[cidaia]

...so in other words he's wrong because you dragged in a totally irrelevant argument about whether Republicans suck?

Obama deserves the peace prize because Republicans suck?

It's wrong to think that giving out the prize to people who haven't done anything to deserve it is wrong because Republicans suck?

[Virgil-1]

This award has been cheapened by those that offer it.A president that
runs down his own country isn't fit to recieve an award of peace,or whatever a Nobel Prise represents.I'm still confused!

[flagwavrblue]

Of course Bob Schieffer doesn't really understand the original intentions behind Alfred Nobel's prize - that it was created to fund the work of promising scientists and humanitarians and not be a lifetime achievement award. It is too bad that Bob and the rest of the press have not brought this point up during their hand-wringing reports of the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize.

[Wingman_62]

Bob Schieffer's bias political pandering to bitter-ender Conservative viewers remind me of the Sunday afternoon news broadcaster who praises the caucasion quarterback for making a great play because he's "brilliant" and "smart" but when the minority makes a play, he's only physically built to make the play. Schieffer comes from the generation whereby many were assured they would reach the "Pearly Gates" before a Black man would ever become President of the U.S. Like it or not..this is what this great American has done in a very short amount of time:
1.Went from Chicago local Govt to the U.S. Senate and the POTUS within a short period of time.
2.First Black President in History of U.S.
3.Made Healthcare Agenda a national debate which is close to being a reality which will provide affordable care to millions.
4.Within 6 months, have changed world view and restored most of the respect for the U.S. squandered by GWB.
5.Have helped the U.S. establish the status quoe of "Clean Energy" en caveat to Al Gore's clean enviroment principles and have encouraged other nations to follow.
6.The POTUS have set a foundation "World-Wide" for de-nuclearization and have countries like North Korea bracing to re-open talks and have Russia agreeing to start the debate of decreasing nuclear warheads.
7.With his overseas travels to Europe during his election, President Obama established himself not only as a future President but a "World Leader" who has the ability to open and drive debate that involves the betterment of world safety and a cleaner enviroment as well as peaceful relationships between countries.(Republicans interpreted this as "Rock Star" appeal..call it what you want..but name me a recent president of any country with the ability to attract millions before even taking the Oath of Office!!!
8. In a very short time, Volunteerism on a national and international level by Americans is once again on the rise whether it be AmeriCorps,Peace Corps or the U.S. military.
These are just a few points on the Presidents accomplishments and with the above points stated..I see justification for President Obama being the recipient of this award..although I will agree that it would have been much sweeter to have received this award after completion of an 8 year Presidency..but by that time, you would need a 200 page scroll to write down all his accomplishments and he would probably be seen as an over-achiever and criticized as overly qualified to receive this award by the Conservative media. We should all be proud of this great man and all the hard work he puts in to make this a better country and a better world. It was only about 8 months ago when this country was definitely on it's way to hell in a handbasket...things have started to slowly turn around due to the President's hard work...How quickly we forget..

[cj_allways]

This is such a joke, that B.O. received this award. When I think of his accomplishments and those of Mother Thereas's I cannot belive that they could be in the same category. He would not know what to do to get his hands dirty yet alone sacrifice. Even his education was handed to him. What a loser and an embarrasement to the great Nation of ours.

[justdatrooth]

Our other "worst President", Jimmy Carter, was given the Peace Prize too. Basically, a candidate need only undermine the US economy and throw massive amounts of money at corrupt and antagonistic foreign governments while chastising Americans for their greed.

The theory is that anything that brings the US closer to being a third world country will promote Peace!

[markrichard2]

Bob's observations are accurate enough . . . the Nobels risk becoming a joke. In the past eight years, the Nobel Prize for Peace has been given to two Democratic presidents and one unsuccessful nominee (the Clintons must be fuming privately over their exclusion so far). The committee may therefore be looked upon askance as having an increasingly narrow view of its mission - to reward 'liberal' (in our parlance) American politicians for their intentions and speeches, rather than for the outcomes produced.

On the ground, the situation in Afghanistan has gotten worse, rather than better, since the current administraion took office, while Bush's war in Iraq, whatever one thinks of the initial assumptions, does not look quite as wrong-headed as it did two or three years ago; the troop withdrawals and decrease in violence has followed Bush's schedule, not that of Obama. Sheltered Europe has starry eyes; its leaders didn't hesitate to call for American military power in the Balkans, when the violence got a little closer to home, but has trouble applying the principle of aid against oppressors to those . . . duskier folks . . . far from western Europe.

There are less rock-star-like people doing genuine humanitarian work - in Darfur, among dissidents in China . . . journalists risking their lives in Putin's Russia . . . Will next year's award be a question of 'which powerful Democrat [we could throw in the economics award to Krugman] is a strong candidate this year?' . . .

[LloydFitzroy]

June 4th in Cairo - Obama makes a speech. Within 10 days, Lebanon has voted Hezbollah out of power, and the voters in Iran have forced the government of that country to turn on its own people to stay in power.

Edward R. Murrow said that Winston Churchill (when the Nazis were 20 miles away from England's shore with nothing to stop them)'martialed the English language and sent it into battle when he had little else'.

Obama has martialed the same language, and sent it into battle. However, Obama had the luxury of choosing between words and bullets. He chose words, and brought significant change with no loss of American lives and with enhancement of America's reputation overseas.

[maflopes]

Torture is no longer the standard approach to take care of suspects.
Powerful speeches are now being used to spread democratic ideas (e.g., Obama's speech in Egypt).
After 8 years of arrogance, negotiation is now possible again.
...
Isn't this enough for a Peace Prize???
Only the extremists (Republicans, Al-Qaeda...) cannot accept it because of their own selfish interests.