And the Nobel Peace Prize goes to……..Barack Obama 44th President of the United States!

Here is the third news analysis paper I wrote for my U.S. Government class for your reading pleasure. I wanted to write a blog about this the minute I heard about Obama winning the Nobel Prize but decided to wait and kill two birds with one stone. As most of you know I am a bleeding heart liberal and so of course, am a huge supporter of Obama. In this paper I mention the speech he gave in Philadelphia on March 18th 2008 while he was still senator of Illinois. The speech was a reaction to a call from the country that he disown the Pastor of his church that had been cited for making racist remarks during a sermon. The speech he gave is a reaction to that. I remember reading the speech for the first time with tears in my eyes as I thought about the intolerance we still have to overcome as individuals and as a nation. Included are links to the article I wrote about and a New York Times web page that has Obamas March 18th speech in both a video format as well as a transcript of it. I really hope you all take the opportunity to listen to and or read it. In the meantime I hope you enjoy. As always thanks so much for taking the time to read and as you know your comments are always welcome.


www.nytimes.com/interactive/2008/03/18/us/politics/20080318_OBAMA_GRAPHIC.html#


www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=113649365





As soon as I heard that President Obama had won the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize I decided I wanted to write this paper about it. I was not aware that he had been nominated at all but was delighted to hear that he had won. I found the article I chose to write about on the NPR website and it is titled "Obama Wins Nobel, Vows 'Call To Action'" The article begins with Presidents Obama's reaction to the news. It states that he was surprised and deeply humbled by the news. In a short speech he said that he did not view the award as recognition for his own accomplishments but as recognition of the goals he has set for the U.S. and the world. He also was quoted as saying that this was a "Call to Action" and that the award must be shared with everyone who strives for justice and dignity.

The article goes on to say that President Obama plans on donating his 1.4 million dollar cash award to charity but does not mention which ones. The article talks about the fact that Obama is the third sitting president to receive this award and the first since Woodrow Wilson in 1919. Former presidents Jimmy Carter won in 2002 and former Vice President Al Gore won in 2007.


The Norwegian Nobel Committee announced that he won the award "for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples", special importance was attached to Obama's vision of and work for a world without nuclear weapons. Thorbjoern Jagland, chairman of the Nobel Committee had this to say, "Only very rarely has a person to the same extent as Obama captured the world's attention and given to it's people hope for a better future. " He also goes on to say that "In the past year Obama has been a key person for important initiatives in the U.N. for nuclear disarmament and to set a completely new agenda for the Muslim world and East-West relations." Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg said "The exciting thing about this prize is that it's given to someone… who has the power to contribute to peace."


The article goes on to give the rhetorical rebuke form Republican Party Chairman Michael Steele where he mentions that Obama hasn't done anything yet and that his star power has outshined advocates that have made real achievements. The Republicans also state that this is clearly a poke in the eye to G.W. Bush because what this says is that America is back on the scene as a nation that is promoting peace after eight years of Bush.


The article goes on to give the rules for how the prize is awarded and also the history of the award. It mentions that in his 1885 will, Alfred Noble stipulated that the peace prize should go "to the person who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between the nations and the abolition or reduction of standing armies and the formation and spreading of peace congresses." The article also mentions that this is a critical time for the Obama administration as they have just sent additional troops to Afghanistan, in my opinion the war we should have been fighting since 2001.


I have to say that my heart swelled with pride when I heard that the President I had voted for was being recognized for his promotion of peace in this and other nations. I was disappointed at the commentary on radio and television that said he didn't deserve this prize. The reason cited most often is that he hasn't done anything. The first thing I thought of when I heard this was the speech he gave in Philadelphia on March 18, 2008 regarding the race relations in this country. His call to action for the people of this country to be more tolerant of the differences between all of us and the understanding of those differences we must have to move forward as a nation and as a people. I must say that after I heard this speech my vote was won. I have often wondered why people are allowed to use hate and intolerance as an excuse for violence.


I was troubled by the Republicans condemnation of Obama's Nobel Peace Prize and that they even mentioned Bush's name, as if their lame duck, war mongering, money grubbing president deserved a Noble Prize or any prize for that matter. I think anyone who is in doubt about whether or not Obama deserves the Peace Prize should read or listen to the speech he gave in Philadelphia on March 18^th 2008. No matter what political party you belong to, I think you will agree that his words here are powerful and true. If this man does nothing else but change the attitudes of millions about people that are different than themselves, I think he has done an incredible thing. I write this to all of the people who believe that this man does not deserve the Nobel Peace Prize. He seeks peace for all, do you?