OBAMA’S Booby Prize
By Taylor Jones | October 19th, 2009 | PERMALINK
Here’s what Dick Cheney’s daughter, Liz, believes: A committee of five Norwegians awarded the Nobel Peace Prize to President Obama because he represents a weaker, more pliant America. An America that can no longer “go it alone” when necessary. Dear old dad, of course, wholeheartedly agrees with her.
Are Cheney & Co are onto something? Maybe, but in a perverse way. With regards to power, perhaps we’ve entered a multi-polar world, and there’s no going back? Maybe the difference between Barack Obama and the Cheneys is that the president understands this paradigm shift, and they don’t.
For instance, just saying, over and over, that the USA has the “world’s greatest health care system,” doesn’t make it so. Proclaiming we’re THE GREATEST! in just about every category is surely off the mark as well. Baseball fans can root like crazy for their home team, even when it’s getting clobbered in the World Series. Their devotion is admirable. But when the series ends, and their team is bested four game to zip, it doesn’t mean that the better team lost.
Long gone are the heady days since the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of the Evil Empire, when the United States could claim its trophy as the world’s sole Superpower. Now we share the stage with a United Europe (more or less) and a resurgent Russia. China is expanding and transforming its economy so rapidly that they are likely to overtake us in GDP within the next ten to twenty years. Even India and Brazil are nipping at our heels!
During the Bush-Cheney Era, we clung tightly to the notion that the world couldn’t survive without our “tough-love” leadership. The result? We got bogged down in two unfinished wars, offering murky exits at best. We failed to curtail Iran’s and North Korea’s maniacal pursuit of atomic weapons. And we nearly drove our economy off a cliff, sending the world into the deepest recession in 70 years. (Though, to be fair, the Clinton-Greenspan Era deserves an equal share of the blame here).
America still tries to rally the world round its leadership, but the calls ring a bit hollow now. And while the Norwegians, the rest of Europe, and nearly every country save Israel adores Barack Obama, will they follow his lead? I have my doubts. As Nicolas Sarkozy or Angela Merkel might describe American primacy: “That’s SOOOO Twentieth Century!” And now it looks as though China is set to leap ahead of the USA in green technologies. As New York Times columnist Tom Friedman put it: If you like importing oil from the Middle East, you’ll LOVE importing solar energy from China!
So, what’s the USA exporting to the world these days? Offhand, I can only think of three things: entertainment; soldiers; and obesity.
Take entertainment. From “Where the Wild Things Are” to Lady Gaga, America continues its long reign as Numero Uno in the entertainment world. That’s not going to change anytime soon. If you can make it big here, you WILL make it big everywhere!
Meanwhile, our armed forces are second to none. We are the Usain Bolt of armies, and the Michael Phelps of navies. If other nations were willing to pay us what we’re worth, we could, literally, fight all their wars for them.
…Makes you wonder: Rather than have our Marines teach Afghan farmers how to plant peppers instead of poppies, why not have the Afghan government pay for our fighting force with the proceeds from their opium trade? We could battle the Taliban for market share. (Hey, just kidding!)
As for obesity, well, thanks to the miracle of high-fructose corn syrup, we are recreating the world in our own bloated image. (Our current, svelte president notwithstanding).
So what’s Barack Obama to do now that he’s a Nobel laureate? The Norwegian selection committee has a history of making odd choices when it comes to the peace prize. And leaders currently holding office when awarded the honor — be it Woodrow Wilson, Anwar Sadat, Mikhail Gorbachev or Yasser Arafat — haven’t fared well, at home, in the aftermath.
President Wilson barnstormed the country to sell his League of Nations after World War I. The exhaustion from his travels may have helped trigger the massive stroke that confined him to bed for the rest of his presidency. His get-well card from the United States Senate? After 55 days of debate, the Senate rejected the League of Nations and the Treaty of Versailles, 53-38.
Yasser Arafat, who shared the 1994 prize with Israeli leaders Yatzhak Rabin and Shimon Peres, was hardly a Prince of Peace. Six years later, Arafat rejected Israeli prime minster Ehud Barak’s gutsy blueprint for a “two-state solution,” and responded to Ariel Sharon’s ill-timed and provocative visit to the Temple Mount by unleashing the bloody, second intifada.
Mikhail Gorbachev, who deserved even more credit for defanging the Soviet Union than Ronald Reagan, received the 1990 prize for his policy of “glasnost and perestroika.” His Nobel medal got a loud Bronx cheer from the folks back home, where he had something like an 8% approval rating. A year later, Gorby found himself under house arrest in his Crimean dacha. He was briefly returned to the Kremlin, along with his family and his beloved cat, but the Gorbachev Era was over.
Former secretary of state Henry Kissinger shared the 1973 peace prize with his Vietnamese adversary, Le Duc Tho, but we all know how that turned out. And Anwar Sadat, who bravely saw the wisdom of NOT fighting Israel, may well have paid for his half of the 1978 Nobel prize with his life!
So, best of luck, President Obama, when you travel to Oslo in December to accept your award. You’ll be the picture of grace and humility, I’m certain. You’ll deliver an elegant speech for the ages. But don’t forget to mention Afghanistan!
Once again, thanks for stopping by. If you’d like to see additional samples of my work, please click here.
Comments
Comment from DHFabian
Time October 20, 2009 at 1:18 pm
I laughed when I got to that “tough-love leadership” thing. “Tough love” is a euphemism for “doing whatever we want to get rid of a problem, regardless of the human cost.” Words like “spreading freedom”, “liberating people,” etc., apply just as well. This is the notion that “justified” removing public funding from human needs/common good programs to finance our massive annual tax “relief” welfare for the rich. (See, out of love, not greed, we were freeing people from the chains of welfare dependency, providing the incentive to…etc.) Want oil? Use the military to enforce America’s tough love (has nothing to do with oil, just wanna make people free, make nations democratic, etc.) Tough love is useful stuff, and can be used to put a smiley-face mask on anything you want to do.
Comment from Deborah Leigh
Time October 20, 2009 at 3:11 pm
Stating that the difference between Obama and Cheney is that \"the president understands this paradigm shift, and they don’t\" is laughable. President Obama understands foreign policy about as well as Taylor and the rest of the Left does which is based on the notion that negotiations, capitulation, financial aid, and appeasement of terrorist nations should be the only solution. Riding around in a hybrid with a \"Free Tibet\" sticker while wearing a t-shirt proclaiming \"Save Darfur\" in route to an anti-war demonstration speaks volumes of disconnectedness. The Left are excel as fear-mongers. They teach us to fear the environment, fear each other, fear those that you disgree with, fear choice of life, choice to smoke (unless it is marijuana), those that have made fortunes (except when the person belongs to the Left), profit, employers, and the list goes on. The lies are so often repeated by the Left that they are viewed as truth, such as the state of our health care. Few hear the answers to those that questioned the WHO\’s methodology. There is no questioning of why the world comes here to get care, or why their hero, Ted Kennedy, didn\’ t seek treatment elsewhere given his vast resources.
The Nobel has been a joke for many years, but to award something because of \"hope\" reaches a new level of absurdity even for the Swedes. Should they now award Iran\’s President Amajinehdad with the Nobel for Advances in Human Rights? President Obama stated that he didn\’t feel worthy to stand in the company of prior recipients such as terrorist Yasser Arafat. However, Obama will collect the prize for the same reason that Arafat, no doubt. Luckily, the difference won\’t be to buy new suicide equipment.
Differences I\’ve noticed between the Left and Right:
If a Conservative wants to be a vegetarian, they do so. The Liberal will try to make everyone vegetarian even if it means banning meat.
If a Conservative wants a gun, they buy it. The Liberal disapproves and will make it so no one has a gun.
If a Conservative likes their car, they don\’t try to get everyone to buy the same one. The Liberal will create a program to get rid of the other car.
If a Conservative doesn\’ t like a program they change the channel or station. The Liberal will try to get rid of that station.
This is just a partial list. I am a rformer Liberal and Democrat. Never again.
Comment from Jason
Time October 20, 2009 at 3:13 pm
What a great post. Hey Cagle, why can’t you get more posts like this, instead of drivel from the likes of Michael Reagan?
Comment from mole
Time October 20, 2009 at 3:28 pm
Deborah Leigh - “I am a rformer Liberal and Democrat. Never again.”
Well thank goodness for that. Your list of what you think liberals are, without a shred of fact or evidence shows why you couldn’t hack it on the left. The “Right” deserves you.
Comment from GJS
Time October 20, 2009 at 3:39 pm
These still could be \"heady days\" if we wouldn\’t have been strapped with a corrupt and wasteful presidency (since Reagan) and Congress (since before that). We have spent ourselves out of being a \"superpower\" , have succumbed to fighting unwinable PC wars, ignored our porous borders and have now accelerated all of those problems and more by electing the most liberal thinking and spending Congress and President of all time. I feel sorry for my kids and grandkids.
Comment from EASTTEXASREDNECK
Time October 20, 2009 at 3:43 pm
LET\’S BRING ALL OUR SOLDIERS HOME AND PUT THEM ON OUR BORDERS. LET THE REST OF THE WORLD SOLVE THEIR OWN PROBLEMS. LET\’S DRILL FOR OIL HERE AND LET THE MEDEAST SCUM EAT THEIR OIL. WE ARE THE BEST IN THE WORLD; BUT WE HAVE TOO MANY LAZY, WORTHLESS BASTARDS ON WELFARE DRAGGING US DOWN. LET\’S EXPORT WELFARE RECIPIENTS.
Comment from GJS
Time October 20, 2009 at 3:46 pm
Mole, what has Reid’s Senate, Pelosi’s House and Obama’s White House done so far that you like. A simple list would be interesting to see coming from the left.
Comment from dale
Time October 20, 2009 at 3:52 pm
Deborah…you make a number of errors:
1.Let’s start with smoking. You claim the Left teach us to fear the choice to smoke. Hmn. Both my parents died from smoking; I wish they had been taught by the Left to fear that choice. That fear is based on irrefutable science.
2.Didn’t Bush appease North Korea as they developed nuclear weapons? Didn’t he let bin Laden go?
3. Financial aid as a tactic of the Left: Didn’t the surge in Iraq reduce violence by buying off the Sunis with financial aid? Didn’t that work?
4.The Left teaches us to fear those who made fortunes? Isn’t George Soros a big Democrat supporter?
Shouldn’t we fear the rich bankers, et al, who took government money and then gave themselves hugh bonuses and salaries even tho they brought us all to the edge of economic collapse? Shouldn’t we fear those wealthy plutocrats who are able to buy politicians and media to push through their greedy agendas? Don’t a lot of Democrats have hugh fortunes–John Kerry, et al.
5.Have you looked at WHO’s methodology? It considers cost, access, and quality. Based on that, we rank 37th, as we are the Only wealthy nation without universal health care….and we pay almost twice as much for this inferior system. And the outcomes are poor–we die younger and are less healthy than almost all developed and even some poor nations (like Costa Rica).
6.The Swedes have nothing to do with the Nobel Prize; it is from Norway.
7.I will give you a pass on the spelling of the President of Iran, as I can’t spell it either.
8.You state: President Obama stated that he didn\’t feel worthy to stand in the company of prior recipients such as terrorist Yasser Arafat. endquote. This is not what he said. This is an invention to make him look absurd. But being false, it makes you look like a liar. I don’t think you are, but I think you are repeating lies you believe.
9, What is your evidence that Liberal vegetarians are trying to ban meat, that Liberals want to get rid of all guns, that the Liberals are trying to get rid of stations they don’t like.? Your caricatures of Liberals are unfounded, and your bright portrait of the freedom-loving Conservatives belies the fact that conservatives, from 2000-2008 in power, shredded the Constitution, invaded a country which was no threat, and chose regulatory policies which favored the wealthy (redistribution of wealth) and finally led to economic collapse. These weren’t Conservatives? Bush, Cheney, Rumseld, Delay, Limbaugh, Hannity,
Beck?
10. Since you cite no evidence whatsoever, I can only assume you are repeating lies that you have heard and believed. The truth is that the Republicans have screwed the average conservative economically and lied to them on almost everything else. The values matters thing? Abortion, guns, etc. The Repubs had power for 8 years and did nothing. Did nothing. Except screw the middle class and squander our reputation, military, and treasury on useless immoral warsand big tax breaks for the already wealthy. Healthcare? The Repubs say they have tons of plans and reforms in mind. But in 8 years of power, they did nothing. They did nothing. Why do you believe them now?. They are lying about Obama and lying about everything else. Stop being a sucker for these assholes; stop repeating their lies.
I appreciate your civility.
Comment from swift
Time October 20, 2009 at 4:11 pm
East Texas Redneck……………….you said WE HAVE TOO MANY LAZY, WORTHLESS BASTARDS ON WELFARE DRAGGING US DOWN. LET\’S EXPORT WELFARE RECIPIENTS.
At least you are straightforward in advancing the Nazi party line. Hitler made many such statements (including Jews, homosexuals, communists, the disabled, the insane, the mentally disturbed, and yes parasites) which led, as we know, to the herding of these groups and and then their use as slave labor until killed. How is your statement different from the Nazi line?
BTW, when you YELL, you lose most listeners. And also, BTW, Clinton along with the Republicans dismantled the old welfare system you are attacking. That was in the 90’s.
I understand your goal is to disturb, to shock, to provoke, to cause emotional reactions. You have given up on civil discourse. But, sir, this forum is about civil discourse. So what are you doing here? Is this therapy for you? God knows you need it.
Comment from Pete
Time October 20, 2009 at 4:37 pm
Ahh. Redneck is such a perfect example of MURCUH, circa 2009. Another native-born, native-educated,
right-wing dandy. Filled with patriotism, Jesusism, heroism, intellectualism, realism. Truly a model of which to be proud. The Best and the Brightest of this generation. Hail yeah!!!
Comment from GJS
Time October 20, 2009 at 5:17 pm
Pete, your uppity, I’m better than you are elitist attitude is why liberals are stereotyped as pasty skinned, whiney, over educated but never had a job, snivveling, patriot and religion hating parasites that many come to look down upon like easttexasredneck does. I always find it interesting when ranters scold ranters by ranting. Please keep it up. Every one of those little gems convinces more conservatives that the stereotype is correct, moves another moderate to the right and embarrasses the liberals who might want to honor patriots and heroes or attend a church.
Comment from mole
Time October 20, 2009 at 8:00 pm
GJS - who stereotypes liberals as …. blah, blah, blah,… ? And by admitting that’s it’s stereotyping, you are admitting that these traits have no basis in fact. Then you say you are convinced that the stereotype is correct. “Stereotype” by definition can’t be correct when applied to humans. Stereotypes are exact copies of the same thing stamped out in large numbers. Stereotyping people is simply admitting a lie.
Comment from CJS
Time October 21, 2009 at 12:34 am
@ mole:
I’m going to disagree with your definition of a stereotype. To the average individual, if something is a stereotype it means that there was enough truth at the core of it for it to be perpetuated. It usually means that some experience in their lives reinforced the stereotype. Stereotypes live on because people live up to them. Now, I’m not saying that we should judge every individual by a stereotype. That would be silly, and wrong. But in groups, they usually exist for a reason. I think people would do well to look honestly at the reasons why their group is being stereotyped, admit to the parts that are true, and if they don’t like what they find, they should work on fixing them.
Comment from SOLP
Time October 21, 2009 at 4:59 am
Mole, Deborah Leigh is ABSOLUTELY correct. That is EXACTLY what liberals are and do in America. Maybe it is different in Canada.
Comment from SOLP
Time October 21, 2009 at 5:02 am
“Didn’t he let bin Laden go?”
No, Dale, it was your buddy BJ Clinton who let him go when the Sudanese captured him and offered him to us in the 90’s
Comment from SOLP
Time October 21, 2009 at 5:05 am
“Have you looked at WHO’s methodology? It considers cost, access, and quality. Based on that, we rank 37th, as we are the Only wealthy nation without universal health care….and we pay almost twice as much for this inferior system. And the outcomes are poor–we die younger and are less healthy than almost all developed and even some poor nations (like Costa Rica).”
WRONG! We actually rank #1 in access and quality(no wait times). The WHO is a USA hating organization just like the UN.
Comment from SOLP
Time October 21, 2009 at 5:06 am
“What is your evidence that Liberal vegetarians are trying to ban meat, that Liberals want to get rid of all guns, that the Liberals are trying to get rid of stations they don’t like.?”
There are proposals in congress right now to try an do exactly these 3 things.
Comment from SOLP
Time October 21, 2009 at 5:08 am
“finally led to economic collapse”
This was caused mainly by Freddy Mac and Fannie Mae, being forced by liberal government policies to give home loans to worthless, low-income trash that could never afford to pay it back!
Comment from SOLP
Time October 21, 2009 at 5:10 am
“They are lying about Obama and lying about everything else.”
And so are you, Dale, SO ARE YOU!!! OBAMA SUCKS!!!!!
Comment from ellis
Time October 21, 2009 at 8:47 am
to eastetxasredneck, unfortunately, we also have you.
for mr. taylor jones; where did the canard that all our obesity is caused by high fructose corn syrup? the intake of this would have never occurred if we did not put such a high tariff on the import of sugar. obesity then would be blamed on sugar. well obesity certainly is partly a product from our intake of sweet foods, but not because of any particular sugar sweetener, for they are all metabolized the same way in the body.
sugar is sucrose, made of glucose and fructose, the corn syrup is fructose, fructose after absorption is metabolized th glucose, which is the sugar we need and use in our metabolic cycle.
for solp sorry to diappoint but we are not the best in medical care, research, nor useful drug discovery. it is nice to think these are true, and if you still wish to live in la la land, be our guest. it is true, however that we pay the highest prices for the drugs we need, drugs that are available in all the industrialized countries and some of them not so advanced. our drug costs are so high that many people in the u.s. who need them to live, cannot either buy them nor live. someday if you really get ill, though i hope not, and need a drug that will cost you $100,000/ year or more to stay alive, you might think back again about your living in a country that puts cash well above the lives of its people. whatever your prejudices are, if you looked you might find that the two countries contiguous with the u.s. have better health care in general for their citizens than we do. wee might do really well for the wealthy but not so much for the rest. that part does not follow the trickle down theory.
Comment from GJS
Time October 21, 2009 at 9:02 am
Mole, got your definitions of stereotyping regarding my comments to Pete’s entry…thanks. How about that question I directed to you 10/20 at 3:46 PM? Or are you still assembling that list. I’ll keep this one open for a while longer.
Comment from Jay
Time October 21, 2009 at 9:36 am
Nice little writeup - I do agree that global power has shifted and that there are some Americans who do not realize this. Power is no longer measured in pure military might the way it use to be. In some ways the American Empire right now reminds me of the British Empire at the beginning of the twentieth century. The rest of the world knew the British Empire was done, but the Brits couldn’t see it. It’s now the same way for the US. It’s empire is starting to decline and some Americans think its still the 1980’s….
Comment from stevens…
Time October 21, 2009 at 4:46 pm
Still waiting for MOLE to answer GJS post dated 10-20 @ 3:46 PM……
Comment from mole
Time October 21, 2009 at 8:36 pm
GJS- see:
http://www.newsweek.com/id/195079
Some of it here:
by most measures, President Obama’s first 100 days have been successful. The economy remains weak, of course, but he has put forward a series of initiatives to stabilize the capital and housing markets, proposed longer-term programs to create sustained growth, adjusted America’s military priorities in Afghanistan and Iraq, and begun a process of reaching out to the world and changing America’s image. These are only overtures, and naturally much will depend on how things turn out—in the economy, in Pakistan, in Iraq. But so far, any president would be envious of Obama’s accomplishments.
Comment from stevens…
Time October 22, 2009 at 11:38 am
LOL… MOLE quotes from an article by newsweek magazine, which is owned by the Washington Post… It is refreshing to see just how MOLE compiles his information… Why not quote from the New York Times???
Comment from GJS
Time October 23, 2009 at 1:32 pm
Mole, even though I can’t say I agree with you, the reply is appreciated. If you have been around any regular person who is trying to get a new loan or a have been jerked around by credit card companies (I have), you would know that the markets are far from stable. Commercial mortgage failures haven’t even started yet. That will make the housing problem go off the deep end again, along with it’s own problems, and put even more pressure on unemployment….a vicious cycle indeed. That’s what the first $1,000,000,000,000 was for…remember, buying toxic assets (nope) keep unemployment <8% (nope)….oops!
Successful Iraq surge is pre-Obama and he is getting it from all sides about Afgan capitulation…oops!
Some would question our new world image….Iran, for 1 has given us the finger.
If you are an old person, aren’t you a little worried about the multi-trillion dollar deficit and how it will affect your future family? If you are a young person, aren’t you worried a little that you will end up working (if you have a non-government job) until August every year to pay for the multi-$1,000,000,000,000 deficits because everybody (except those horrible six figure earners) is on the government dole?
Comment from mole
Time October 23, 2009 at 1:33 pm
stevens… what does it matter where I quote my information from. GJS asked me what I liked about Obama, and I answered it.
The very reason that I did not answer right away was because I knew there was no point - that it couldn’t satisfy those who did not want to hear another side. I was right - it was pointless, but I tried anyway.
Comment from mole
Time October 23, 2009 at 1:36 pm
GJS - yes, I’m worried. I also believe that when the economy tanked, we would have been even worse off if McCain had been at the helm.
Comment from Call Me Conservative, but…
Time October 20, 2009 at 12:47 pm
Taylor always surprizes with wit and cynicism…but a more real look at the situation you’d be hard pressed to find. Thanks Taylor!