Friday
It is the lack of hope in this world that drives so many desperate souls to bigotry, violence, and terror. Barack Obama has now struck a telling blow against this, by giving literally billions of plain people across the globe a ray of hope that - without any elitist demands for actual diplomatic achievement on their parts! - a genuine Nobel Peace Pony may yet be theirs.
When, next year, he finally resolves the Middle East conflict, and is borne shoulder-high through Jerusalem by an ecstatic crowd as Netanyahu and Abbas lead a mass conga round the Temple Mount, we shall just have to give it to him twice. Unless he fails, in which case I guess it can always go to Paris Hilton.
- Gray Woodland of Goat in the Machine commenting here.
This was too good to leave languishing in our comment section as it had us literally weeping with laughter at Samizdata HQ.
I quite liked this one, from the BBC's Have Your Say on the subject:
He had to get it so early in his term as president as the committee were probably afraid that he would ascend into heaven before they had a chance to give it to him.Graeme Tosen, London
Posted by Natalie Solent at October 9, 2009 02:21 PM
The wording here reminds one of Reagan's story of political comparability about the little girl cleaning a stall, which ends:
I KNOW THERE'S A PONY IN HERE SOME PLACE
Posted by RRS at October 9, 2009 03:30 PM
Does anyone remember who said, "Unlike reality, fiction has to make sense"?
Posted by Mike James at October 9, 2009 04:53 PM
It's official - the Nobel prize committee has now proven that President Obama really is indistinguishable from President Carter, by awarding him the Peace prize for having done - well, actually, nothing whatsoever to promote peace.
I knew that the Peace prize was devalued when they gave it to that human t**d, Yasser Arafat - now I see that its effective value has sunk to nil, since it amounts to nothing more than first prize in a popularity contest.
llater,
llamas
Posted by llamas at October 9, 2009 05:05 PM
Maybe it's part of a peace stimulus package? If we push out the awards it will restart the peace?
Posted by M4-10 at October 9, 2009 05:17 PM
Norwegian Nobel Committeee Members, from Wiki:
* Thorbjørn Jagland (chair, born 1950), member of Parliament, President of the Storting and former cabinet minister for the Labour Party. Member and chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee since 2009.
* Kaci Kullmann Five (deputy chair, born 1951), former member of Parliament and cabinet minister for the Conservative Party. Member of the Norwegian Nobel Committee since 2003, deputy chair since 2009.
* Sissel Rønbeck (born 1950), deputy director, Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage (Riksantikvaren), former member of parliament and cabinet minister for the Labour Party. Member of the Norwegian Nobel Committee since 1994.
* Inger-Marie Ytterhorn (born 1941), former member of Parliament for the Progress Party. Member of the Norwegian Nobel Committee since 2000.
* Ågot Valle (born 1945), member of parliament for the Socialist Left Party. Member of the Norwegian Nobel Committee since 2009.
Posted by PersonFromPorlock at October 9, 2009 05:23 PM
Obama got the prize; but, the committee "takes the prize" Retire the recorded "laugh tracks".
Posted by cjf at October 9, 2009 06:43 PM
David Bernstein on The Volokh Conspiracy has posted a "Top Ten Reasons Why Obama Won the Nobel Peace Prize". Pretty funny.
Posted by Laird at October 9, 2009 07:28 PM
In a few years you'll be able to pick up a Nobel Peace Prize on Ebay.
Posted by StevenT at October 9, 2009 08:46 PM
RayD:
The Nobel Peace Prize is like a Special Olympics gold medal for leftards.
Posted by Kristopher at October 9, 2009 11:16 PM
BTW ... this very day President Obama is having NASA bomb the moon with orbital deadfall ordinance.
How peaceful is this?
And has anyone even considered the environmental impact of such a barbarous act?
Posted by Kristopher at October 10, 2009 12:58 AM
They gave it to Teddy Roosevelt, for Christ's sake. The Peace Prize was practically stillborn.
Posted by Joshua Holmes at October 10, 2009 01:46 AM
Joshua:
T. Roosevelt got the prize for negotiating the Treaty of Portsmouth, which ended the Russo-Japanese War. You might not like his domestic politics, but that is at least a reasonable excuse for giving somebody a "peace prize".
Posted by Ted Schuerzinger at October 10, 2009 02:39 AM
What a pity the Norwegian politicians do not decide the elections in New Jersey and Virginia.
The voters in these States may wipe the smile off "The One's" smug face, in less than a month.
If the yet-more-government-control-of-healthcare Bill and the Cap and Tax Bill are not passed by the time of these elections - and the elections go against The One, then these Bills will not get passed.
Posted by Paul Marks at October 12, 2009 04:56 PM
