I think they gave this Nobel peace prize to Obama less because of what he's done so far and more for not being Bush. And it's well deserved.
Conservatives seemed to be outraged that this is partly a snub of Bush. Yes, it is. And well deserved.
Bush was a warmonger who started a disastrous and completely unnecessary war in Iraq. But worst yet, he established the first-strike doctrine, which is as antithetical to peace as any act can be. It says you can attack any country that you view to be a vague threat to you in any way. Well, that's what starts endless wars. If this was a snub of that policy and that president, then it could not have been better placed.
Obama shouldn't have won for what he did but he should win for replacing the most anti-peace leader that we have seen in a long time. Is Bush a worse warmonger than Saddam Hussein, who started two wars against Iran and Kuwait? No. But he is more important because he represents the leadership of the developed world. If he turns the developed world from protectors of the peace to the purveyors of war, that does more damage than any one Saddam Hussein.
Barack Obama has promised to go in the opposite direction by consulting our allies, committing to diplomacy, reaching out to the Muslim world, not carrying out first strikes and ending the war in Iraq. Going in the opposite direction of Bush should be rewarded. And, of course, this is an honor he shares with the American people. This is a way that the Nobel committee is thanking the American people for choosing peace.
If conservatives are mad at that, sad day for them. Maybe they should reconsider whether it's wise to be the senseless war party.
It wasn't that long ago that they weren't. What no one seems to remember is that the original Bush Doctrine was his father's -- and it was the exact opposite. Say what you want about the "real" reasons for the first Persian Gulf War, but the precedent that H.W. Bush was establishing was that one country cannot unilaterally attack another. And precedent matters. There could have been an argument made that he should have won a Nobel Peace Prize for that (though he might have had to give it back when his progeny completely overturned his precedent).
But the Republican Party of today is this weird amalgamation of the bitter, the dispossessed, the angry and the violent. So, excuse us if we don't take your indignation too seriously. And next time you talk about the President of the United States a little respect is in order. That's your Commander in Chief who just won that award that for his country and its citizens. So, next time a crisp salute will do and then you can be on your way.
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