Politically, the best thing the President could do would be to humbly refuse to accept it. "I hope someday this administration will achieve the high distinctions the Nobel is intended to honor, but too much remains to be done," or something like that. Takes the wind out of the Right and makes the Left fall even more in love with him.
UncleFester said:It was a prize for not being George W. Bush. Pure and simple. The prizes given to Carter in '02 and Gore in '07 were explicitly said to be "a kick in the leg" to Pres. Bush. Why would this be different?
Awards such as this, as well as awards to people like Arafat (for dramatically different reasons) cheapen the Nobel Prize. A shame...
It was a prize for not being George W. Bush. Pure and simple. The prizes given to Carter in '02 and Gore in '07 were explicitly said to be "a kick in the leg" to Pres. Bush. Why would this be different?
The Prize is supposed to be about achievements for peace. Not aspirations, or potential, or Hope. Would you award the Nobel for Medicine to a doctor who said he hoped to cure cancer? Or the Literature Prize to someone who said he had a great idea for a novel?
Politically, the best thing the President could do would be to humbly refuse to accept it. "I hope someday this administration will achieve the high distinctions the Nobel is intended to honor, but too much remains to be done," or something like that. Takes the wind out of the Right and makes the Left fall even more in love with him.
I think you are right. The commitee is trying to sway his decision on Afghanistan by guilt trip. Sounds like my girlfriend.MAYBE it's their way to encourage him to not push through with the war in Afghanistan. Maybe now he'll feel obligated to take a more ...peaceful stance. He just so happened to get this award in the middle of his indecision about what to do in Afghanistan.... Coincidence? Probably so.
But seriously, I agree he should decline the award. Politics aside, that would be the right thing to do.