Obama's Outreach To Muslims Cited....for those who don't get it.

[spanone]

in a world void of ANY voice calling for peace, Obama wins for reaching out.

President Obama was awarded the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize Friday for his work to improve international diplomacy and rid the world of nuclear weapons -- a stunning decision to celebrate a figure virtually unknown in the world before he launched his campaign for the White House nearly three years ago.

In awarding the coveted prize to Obama, 48, the Norwegian Nobel Committee echoed a global embrace of the U.S. president that has seen his popularity overseas often exceed his support at home. Though Obama's name surfaced early among contenders, the announcement astonished observers -- drawing gasps from the audience in Oslo -- in part because Obama assumed office less than two weeks before the Feb. 1 deadline for nominations.

The committee praised Obama for his "extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples" during his nine months in office and singled out for special recognition Obama's call for a world free of nuclear weapons, which he first made in an April speech in Prague.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/09/AR2009100900914.html?hpid=topnews

[BlooInBloo]

1. "the U.S. president that has seen his popularity overseas often exceed his support at home."....

Anti-Obama DUers considering moving out of the US may wish to consider staying. They'll find more people who think like they do, here.

:rofl:

[BumRushDaShow]

3. And THAT is the truth!

especially seeing the unbelievable crapping on this honor from so many DUers.

[blondeatlast]

7. It's those lovely little ironies that make life worth living, IMHO. When I was in Malaysia

just before the election, everyone we came in contact with--to a soul--wanted to know more about Obama.

[redqueen]

10. LOL!

[shadowknows69]

2. Meanwhile we're still killing innocent Muslims in three countries

[FrenchieCat]

4. I know of no one who won this prize because the world was singing Kumbaya......

Not even MLK jr.

[MineralMan]

5. Leaving a war zone is not a simple thing, especially

after several years of fighting. Were we to simply withdraw suddenly from Iraq and Afghanistan, peace would not be the result. Withdrawing from warfare is a complex task, and I believe we are on a path towards withdrawal.

As with many things, Obama is being condemned for not acting quickly enough, and by people who have no idea whatsoever how such a thing might be accomplished.

[shadowknows69]

6. MM I know it isn't a simple task, but talk of escalation in Afghanistan

Is not a road to withdrawal except with our tails between our legs like Vietnam and you know it.

[MineralMan]

8. Actually, it's not at all clear that escalation is going to

be the direction. Rather, it appears that the direction is going to shift from fighting the Taliban to fighting Al Qaeda. In Iraq, we've already withdrawn from the cities and turned crap over to the Iraqis. It appears to me that the strategy to stop trying to kill Afghanis for their political beliefs and focus on the terrorists for their terrorism is going to lead to us withdrawing from Iraqi politcs.

As I said, none of this happens quickly, and cannot. The vacuum left by a quick withdrawal in that region would instantly be filled with violent conflict.

At the beginning of America's incursion into that area, I predicted that once we finally left, the area would revert to the same tribalistic chaos that had maintained for so long before we went there. I stand by that prediction, but believe that a sudden withdrawal would make it much worse.

Peace is an elusive thing.

[shadowknows69]

9. Well I won't live in a world where peace is an elusive thing,

I guess I'll eventually take the "early retirement plan" then, because I can't bear the grief of it all anymore

[MineralMan]

11. There haven't been any long periods I'm aware of when

the world has been at peace. We get a decade or two now and then, maybe, but it starts up again somewhere. It would be a good thing if that stopped, but I don't see it. We're tied to our biological history as a species, and we're very territorial because of that.

We form little bands of people who don't like the other little bands of people. So it began, and so it continues. About the best we ever do is to talk about peace amongst the little bands. As long as we're talking, we don't fight so much, but soon enough the talks fall apart and we go back to slinging rocks at each other.

Until we find a way to rise above our evolutionary history, it will continue, with just a small group of humans trying very hard to find a way not to fight with each other.

Peace is a wonderful goal. History, though, gives us clear evidence that it is an unattainable goal. That's sad, but it is also true.

From turf wars among street gangs and fights between rival fans at a sporting event to global ideological or territorial warfare, it is all the same thing.

[shadowknows69]

12. Guess I should have offed myself yesterday then

[MineralMan]

13. Oh, for pete's sake...

I won't continue this...

[shadowknows69]

14. Good it's beginning to bore me too.