Now that he has the award, how will President Obama endeavor to earn it?
“I do not view it as a recognition of my own accomplishments. But rather as an affirmation of American leadership. … I will accept this award as a call to action.”
A call to act… in what way? By doing more of what apparently landed him the honor in the first place? According to the Nobel people, he won the award for his:
“Extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples.”
Snubbing the Dali Lama so that he can cooperate better with China. A blasé response to the recent corrupt Iranian election, subsequent brutal suppression of protesters and overt threats to Israel so that he can cooperate better with the fanatical Ahmadinejad. Foisting higher prices for tires on American consumers and threatening to start a protectionist trade war by punishing Chinese manufacturers with tariffs so that he can cooperate better with American labor unions. Giving speeches throughout Europe that apologize for America’s arrogance and praises their cradle-to-grave welfare statism, and asking for Europe’s government to spend money they don’t have and being rebuffed. A UN initiative jointly sponsored with Egypt that ostensibly promotes free speech but includes ominous provisions criminalizing “hate speech” which the U.S. does not currently do because of our troublesome First Amendment liberties. We’re still in Iraq and it appears Obama is about to increase our military role in Afghanistan, where he continues to authorize the torching of villages’ harvested opium poppy without paying compensation. Closing Guantanamo (eventually), but retaining the practice of extraordinary rendition.
Hmmm.
Meanwhile, here at home, Obama has throttled up socializing medicine, which amounts to accelerating a process already underway (see W.’s prescription drug benefit plan), and he’s turned over massive amounts of wealth to large corporations, nearly quadrupling last year’s deficit to over $1,400,000,000,000.00, which is a kind of homage to W. Where’s the transparency Obama promised? Congressional bills are still loaded with pork. Where’s the propriety and fiscal responsibility he promised? Why is his White House embracing the executive privileges he criticized during his campaign? Warrantless wiretapping, Mr. President? Why can’t he muster the courage to stand up for equal rights for gay people? He laughed… laughed… when asked if he might address the fact that hundreds of thousands of Americans are rotting in jail because of draconian drug prohibition laws?
But he’s a very charismatic deliverer of speeches.
According to the Nobel people, “His diplomacy is founded in the concept that those who are to lead the world must do so on the basis of values and attitudes that are shared by the majority of the world’s population.”
Grandiose, partisan gobbledegook.
The values and attitudes shared by the majority of the world’s population are clear enough to anyone to be a “foundation?” W. used to talk about the universal value of individual freedom. Is that what they mean? What exactly do they mean? What should a world leader do when the majority of the world wants stuff or services that infringe on individual liberties? On what basis must the President of the United States lead… the world?
He was basically given the prize for his stated intentions, and their own intentions are all that mattered to them that gave it. For those of us who live in and care about the real world, it’s a disheartening spectacle.
