Barack Obama wins the Nobel Peace Prize 2009

[disneyboy20022]

http://news.brisbanetimes.com.au/breaki ... -grbw.html

Congrats though I think as much as I like the guy as President....it was rather early or premature for the comittee to give Obama the Nobel Peace Prize....and to the people who said he should have turned it down....I think that would have had a backlash as well if that would have happened...the President thinks he's above the nobel peace prize bla bla bla....kinda damned if you do or don't accept it...

[ajmrowland]

I agree. It's not that he doesn't get points for trying to change our government, but it's still too early

[PixarFan2006]

I agree that it may be a tad too early for Obama to receive an award like this, but I guess it is better than George W Bush getting a Nobel prize.

[pap64]

Yeah, I agree that it was too early for him to get an award. The problem now is that whether he accepts it or not he has to live up to it, and its likely that any change or decision he makes will be looked upon closely.

[jpanimation]

At first, I thought this was another SNL joke, and a funny one at that. Then I found out it was real, which made it even funnier

The biggest joke is that they gave it to him for giving people hope. Last I checked you actually had to do something to earn it.

[disneyboy20022]

Again I think It was premature of the Nobel Prize Comittee to give Obama the award....I mean its not like Obama put his name in a hat or chose to put his name in for the award....and some people will think if he turns it down that he thinks he's above the Nobel Prize or something to that effect which is bull...I think he will do better than the last president but and change and hope is coming....people need remember it iworld peace and agreeable health care isn't wham bam boom its a happy world again...things take time....I think it would have been more timely to award him the award when a major thing is done.....although he has reached america in a new way that previous adminstrations have never done...use technology to get the message out....the internet the online meetings....I mean I know some might say thats stupid but I am willing to bet the average 20 year old is more likely to look up news on the Internet or some sort of technology or watch TV that have a newspaper interview because that is the current way of getting messages out....

[Lazario]

At first, I thought this was another SNL joke, and a funny one at that. Then I found out it was real, which made it even funnier

The biggest joke is that they gave it to him for giving people hope. Last I checked you actually had to do something to earn it.

Agreed. Only... this is anything but funny.

[a-net-fan]

FAR too premature but a great honor I hope he is able to live up to. This certainly sets the bar higher for him and expectations in this country and around the world are only going to rise as a result of this.

[2099net]

The biggest joke is that they gave it to him for giving people hope. Last I checked you actually had to do something to earn it.

Well, not technically. Mandella and de Klerk got one after only a few talks together - long before a proper new South African government. A year later three (including Yasser Arafat) got the award for working towards Peace in the Middle East. How did that work out in the long run? I'm sure there's others who haven't achieved their aim, but have set out their intentions too.

Sometimes the award is given (I speculate) in order to give more "weight" to such intentions. In other words, it gives some form of higher expectation to the process. Admittedly this does seem more premature than normal, and really, its not fair on the President. But I think precedents have been set in the past.