This morning, just before 6 am our time, President Barack Obama received and accepted the Nobel Peace Prize. Many people, probably including the president himself, were caught off-guard over when this award was announced last summer. President Obama had not been in office all that long.
How can this award be anything but good for the United States? A sitting president awarded the Nobel Peace Prize can only signal that the United States is a world leader whether in war or peace. It gives us stature. It de-fangs some of our aggression that we have had to exhibit because we are a world leader. We are obviously still at war and in 2 regions. Our resolve has been strengthened in Afghanistan.
The President was spoke well for the nation in his acceptances of this prestigious award:
Full text of President Obama’s Speech
This award is seen by some as somewhat duplicitous since President Obama has recently announced that 30,000 new troops will immediately be deployed to Afghanistan. Keeping the peace isn’t always free or without strife. World opinion as well as US opinion on this issue is dominating the news and blogs. Is it possible to deploy troops and be considered a man of peace? How can we reconcile these 2 opposite concepts?
Okay speech but again, I-am-reading-from-a-teleprompter-and-I-have-no-emotion. Also, “President Obama had not been in office all that long.” – that’s the understatement of the year, 2 weeks…
I have tried to avoid this comment for several months, but would you rather have someone up there stufttering and stammering and misusing words or someone with a teleprompter? All presidents in recent history of used a teleprompter, even the one who mangled the King’s English.
I’d rather have someone who can speak in public without hand-holding. There are folks bright enough and confident in their own abilities enough to speak in public without reading every word. But I think we all know that’s not what we elected. We elected a community organizer, not a President (and in this respect, I don’t think we’ve had a real President since Clinton). Bush and Obama were and are badly in over their heads, and both are sorely lacking in real talent. As to the Nobel Peace Prize, I think the Nobel committee realizes that they’ve completely destroyed any credibility they had. I’m taking bets on the prize money going to ACORN. Who wants that action?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PnLqoRtUAVg
AWESOME!!
I would rather have someone who believes in what they are saying. Any fool can read word for word from a teleprompter but it only shows that he is one of two things… either he doesn’t believe in what he is saying or he is an idiot who can’t give a ‘real’ speech.
Moon, if you just want someone who can give a good reading then why not just elect an actor to be president?
I’m sick of these one after another uninspiring reading of someone else’s words type speeches. For crying out loud, does this man need to be told what to say 24/7 or can he actually speak for himself?
I do think it’s important to remember that Obama didn’t campaign for the Peace prize and ultimately he was “placed” in this position. The Nobel committee is where all the criticism for this incident belongs. I don’t want to bash the guy for something that is really beyond his control.
And meanwhile, the Russians are testing updated ICBM missiles over Norway. Putin’s just licking his chops!
Slow, I am going to agree with you with about 70% of what you said. Every once in a while that happens, esp with the Clinton name in the mix.
Hello, we tried the actor president. Some liked it, some didn’t. Surely you aren’t letting your dislike of everything Democrat/Obama (I don’t doubt we would be having the same conversation if Hillary had been elected.) obscure your vision. All presidents have used the teleprompter since the 60’s. I believe JFK even used one.
I don’t find him to appear insincere. Neither do most people. I have criticisms but that isn’t it.
70% isn’t too shabby!!
Not at all, I’m just saying I’m getting tired of a robot like president who, looks left, reads a few words, looks right, reads a few more, looks left reads a few words, looks right reads a few more……
Most people don’t have that impression of him, including those who don’t particularly like him. In fact, most people, even his enemies will usually concede that he is an excellent speaker, even if they don’t like what he has to say.
Slow, I thought 70% was rather remarkable. usually it’s 50%. What happened to your cartoon mouse?
If someone offered me a million dollars simply for NOT being George Bush, you can bet I would accept it. What fool wouldn’t? And think of the creds this will give President Obama when he leaves office and everyone forgets all about it. Even if this presidency goes down in flames, I predict he will earn more in honoraria than Bill Clinton.
And I hope the charity that President Obama plans to donate the $1.4 million prize to will be to purchase carbon offsets for this trip, which I’m pretty sure is costing us taxpayers far more than a million dollars. Oh, the ironies.
Oddly enough, many people who might be considered not Obama fans, were complementary about his speech and how he projected the USA. He must have done a good job if Newt Gingrich praised him.
Karl Rove also gave him high marks also.
Hello, looks like you are getting more and more alone out there.
There have been so many positive things said about this speech from an American point of view, I thought I would post it. The speech is known as the Nobel Lecture. It is approximately 36 minutes long. It is broken in to 4 parts.
Moon, it’s funny, I’ve said it was an okay speech. I have stated many times that he is a great speaker. I’m only knocking his complete obsession with teleprompters, his has turned what could be great speeches into okay or good speeches because he tends to just look back and forth reading word for word. Becomes very monotone and boring with little emotion.
I liked how he for once stood up for America instead of being apologetic for America. However, he still finds time to remind people that he chose to close Guantanamo (even though it’s not even close to closing down yet).
Take a look at his past couple of speeches and see how many times he uses ‘I’ in them… kind of interesting.
but what is the obsession with teleprompters?? Every recent President has used teleprompters, they just have not been the focus of many individuals. Most if not all live broadcasts of any news show uses them, what is the big deal – or is it just political nitpicking?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:LBJ_Civil_Rights_Act_crowd.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:SOU2007.jpg
I remember Reagan, Bush and Bush (and index cards) using teleprompters – Clinton, no so
much. And, they all use speech writers.
Obama just doesn’t use them for live broadcasts like most presidents have, he uses them for EVERYTHING from opening statements or basic and simple announcements… just take a look at this article from the NY Times:
“Presidents have been using teleprompters for more than half a century, but none have relied on them as extensively as Mr. Obama has so far. While presidents typically have used them for their most important speeches — an inaugural, State of the Union or Oval Office address — Mr. Obama uses them for routine announcements and even for the opening statement of his only news conference so far.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/06/us/politics/06memo.html
He uses them so much they even have their own blog and is referred to as the TOTUS: http://baracksteleprompter.blogspot.com/
I heard that he even uses it when helping the girls with their homework, when singing in the shower and when sweet talking Michelle at night
just got word he uses it when talking trash on the basketball court or when making fun of Axelrod’s mamma.
this just in, Obama also uses teleprompter when telling BO (the dog, no relation) to sit, roll over, speak… or to hail a cab.
when reading the newspaper, when silently reading a book to himself at night (rules for radicals), even used it when reading instruction on how to put together swing set for kids…
when talking on the phone, when playing poker even when reading teleprompters when giving a speech he first reads other teleprompters…
I could go on and on…
when giving an order at a fast food restaurant, when cheering on his Chicago Bulls, when asking Pelosi what he should do next, and yes, even when he looks at the american people and tells them a big fat lie.
YOU LIE! Or is that just the teleprompter that is telling the lies?
when caroling, when saying prayers at night, when talking in his sleep, when thinking to himself…
No one else is listening. This obsession really isn’t healthy. Your guy didn’t win. Get over it. Work harder next time. You really are going to make yourself ill.
Awww, I’ve got more Moon…
By the way, love the whole ‘We won, you lost’ get over it coming from a ‘moderate’.
Gotta run, Glenn Beck is on…
I’m back…….did I miss anything?
Oh, Moon. My mouse has been back for quite some time. I cleared my browser cache and he showed up a day later.
There he is!!! Hi Slow Mousie!
Hello, remedial reading 101. I didn’t say ‘we won, you lost’ I said your guy lost. You actually don’t know who I voted for or if I voted. Work on reading carefully. There will be an election in 2012. Maybe your guy or gal will win. Obviously yours didn’t this past time.
Obama sucks….