Do the Right Thing. Check!

Originally posted October 9, 2009

Like most of the reporters in the room during Friday's announcement of President Barack Obama as this year's recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, I too was shocked. That being said, I must confess I really know nothing about what is involved with the selection of the Nobel Peace Laureate, with the exception that efforts toward peace keeping are most likely of paramount importance.

None the less, I was thrilled!!! Thrilled for Obama and thrilled for America!! At last, after 8 terrible war-mongering years with George W. Bush, the United States was garnering attention on the world stage for the right reasons--peace and diplomacy. The reputation of the United States during the most recent Bush administration suffered horribly. It was embarrassing. I remember talking to friends who would be traveling abroad and we all joked that they should proclaim themselves Canadians if asked. George Bush and his administration had a thirst for conquest and it was cloaked in the guise of "spreading democracy." It was a farce, and the world knew it! Everyone, it seemed, except the majority of Americans-because they elected him for a second term!

Despite what many proclaim as Obama's "rock star" status abroad, I don't believe America's standing in the international community should be a popularity contest. That being said, it is important that we do not alienate our allies nor loose the ability to engage in dialogue with other countries. Is that not inherent in the definition of diplomacy, and therefore an obligation of every administration?

The political commentary from every news outlet started immediately. Did he deserve it? Did he not deserve it? Would it make it easier for him? Would it actually make it a problem for the administration? I'm sorry...how exactly does a Nobel Peace Prize become a problem? What is the liability inherent in that?

After listening to the news for a few days, one of the comments I am still most struck by is a reporter on CNN who I saw immediately after the announcement. In listing past US citizens who have won the award, including Presidents Teddy Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson and Jimmy Carter and Vice President Al Gore he made a reference to there being a possible partisan bias. This is not a group of U.S. citizens making the decision, this is a panel of five individuals elected by the Norwegian Parliament. I suppose what he really meant was that Barack Obama's attempts at making the world nuclear free and his willingness to engage in diplomatic relations with countries like Iran is more in tune to the world community and perhaps a philosophy more inherent in the U.S. Democratic Party. What American conservatives see as being weak, members of the world community see as being the right thing to do.

I choose the later, truly a more kinder, gentler and intelligent nation.

I am not going to get bogged down in the qualifications of Barack Obama and whether he deserved it. What I do know is that he was awarded the prize, "For his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples," and he is now in a very illustrious group of extraordinary human beings, including Nelson Mandela, Mother Theresa, Martin Luther King, Jr., Elie Wiesel, Desmond Tutu, Lech Welsea, Anwar al-Sadat and Menachem Begin and many, many others.

It doesn't matter how you feel about Barack Obama's politics--it is an honor for America when its president is bestowed with the Nobel Peace Prize. Thank you, President Obama for your efforts to engage in diplomacy, put an end to nuclear weapons and for helping to restore the reputation of America within the international community. Thank you, for doing the right thing.