Congratulations to President Obama for winning the Nobel Peace Prize. This puts him in heady company and I hope that he can live up to the billing. More important than Barack Obama is the fact that Americans went to the polls last November and elected a leader who has put our country back on the track of international diplomacy and away from international lawlessness. We have gone from pariah to promise in just shy of nine months. President Obama gets a prestigious award, which he was quick to say he was unworthy of. Worthy people always say things like that, that’s what makes them worthy. I congratulate the President, but also I congratulate the American people who put a man in office that once again makes most of us proud to be Americans.
I feel sorry for some of his opposition which include virulent members of the right wing of American politics, the Taliban and leaders of Hamas who fail to see anything positive. One of our greatest presidents and a man also hailing from the State of Illinois, once said, “You can please all of the people some of the time, and some of the people all of the time, but you cannot please all the people, all the time.”
Some of my friends have suggested that the Nobel Prize Committee did this as way to shape America’s policy. That might be. Rewarding good behavior with compliments is an accepted practice in the world. Shunning bad behavior is also an acceptable practice. I hope the President lives up to the award and ends both the Iraq and Afghan wars, rids the world of nuclear weapons and also bring healing to the strident racism that affects our own country. The United States of America is a multi-cultural, pluralistic society and we need to foster that at every opportunity. May peace and good fortune continue to bless our leader. Shalom, Peace, Pace, Pax, Amani, Paix, Salaam, Shanti, Mire, Heddwich and on and on.
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Lord, make me an instrument of your peace;
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.O Divine Master,
grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood, as to understand;
to be loved, as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life. — St. Francis of Assisi
Don,
I am of sound liberal mind and body. I also felt that it was more than just a little important to see Barack Obama be inaugurated as our 44th President of the United States. So without tickets or a solid plan, we took our children out of school and traveled to Washington to sit on the frozen tundra of the National Mall with a million other people.
I do have a bit of an issue. If President Obama chooses to increase troops in Afghanistan, which might be necessary and is being recommended by top generals, how can he honestly be chosen for the Nobel Peace Prize? Those are my thoughts as I continue to support our president and pray for his success.
Rick Weinberg
Don,
Thank you for such great insight. I appreciate reading your perspective on this “hot” topic. I wasn’t sure felt good about it at first. Perhaps I was one of those who immediately went to the policy explaination. However, after reading your post, my perspective has changed. President Obama’s accomplishment is not just his but as you said that of all the American people who voted for Change.
Katie
Thanks for both of your comments. I’m uncomfortable to a certain degree that he got it so early in his term. Al Gore congratulated him as did Jimmy Carter. Barack Obama is very charismatic to be certain however, the Bush policies offer such a stark contrast from Obama’s that I think that really helped President Obama win the award. I wish I had the nerve and verve to attend the inauguration as you did. I wanted to go, but was able to share in the moment by your photos and those of my brother and his lady friend who were able to be there.
I’m not an Obama apologist. His handling of the banking issue leaves a lot to be desired. I wish he were more pro-active there, but this is a great award for our president and more importantly our country. 🙂