President Barack Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize, but do you wonder who didn’t quite measure up? Moonbattery lists some of the nominees below that didn’t quite make the grade comparing to the “accomplishments” of our President who was nominated after only 11 days in office.
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Chinese Human Rights Activist Hu Jia – imprisoned for campaigning for human rights in the PRC, not as worthy as Barack Hussein Obama.
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Wei Jingsheng, who spent 17 years in Chinese prisons for urging reforms of China’s communist system. — not as worthy as Barack Hussein Obama. (Not to mention the symbolic value of awarding a Chinese dissident on the 20th Anniversary of the Tianenmen Square Massacre.)
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Greg Mortenson, founder of the Central Asia Institute has built nearly 80 schools, especially for girls, in remote areas of northern Pakistan and Afghanistan over the past 15 years – not as worthy as Barack Hussein Obama.
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Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad, a philosophy professor in Jordan who risks his life by advocating interfaith dialogue between Jews and Muslims, also not as worthy as Barack Hussein Obama.
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Afghan human rights activist Sima Samar. She currently leads the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission and serves as the U.N. special envoy to Darfur and is apparently also not as worthy as Barack Hussein Obama.
I’m so glad they chose President Obama, I mean we wouldn’t want the Nobel Committee using the award to help combat human rights abuses or anything. I mean these folks’ actions and sacrifice pale in comparison to our President’s noble intentions.
HT: Ace of Spades via Conservatives 4 Palin
Update: Duane Lester at All American Blogger has some more profiles of people who were passed over for this award.
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I know you didn’t intend it to have this effect but this really puts it in a better perspective and allows me to better understand why the Nobel Peace Prize Committee chose Obama. When is the last time they picked a “nobody?” By that I mean someone little known worldwide? I have previously only heard of one and that was only because a commentator was mentioning that they thought Greg would have been more qualified. So, prior to Friday…I had never heard of any of the others!
By the way, lets not forget that Obama didn’t nominate himself nor did he vote for himself, in fact he was as surprised as the rest of us. I’m very impressed with the way he is handling it under the circumstances. In the long run, especially if he fails to deliver on their hopes and expectations, this may be more detrimental than positive for his career.
Shane Vander Hart Reply:
October 10th, 2009 at 12:31 pm
@Don, I realize that Obama didn’t nominate himself, and I’m not criticizing him for being awarded it. If I were him I probably would have declined.
There are people on the left who are shaking their heads over this. You are likely right that it could be detrimental for their careers.
If would be nice though to see somebody none of us have heard of who is doing positive work (like those above) and sacrificing to be picked. All of the above I’m sure could really use the prize money as well.
If a president of another country were awarded an international honor, and the citizens of that country were irate at their leader getting respect and recognition, even if it was surprising and unexpected, I would find it more than a little ridiculous.
Shane Vander Hart Reply:
October 10th, 2009 at 12:34 pm
@Angie, I’m not irate at the President, I’m irate at the Norwegian Nobel Committee. I think there is bipartisan scoffing about President Obama receiving this award – you should actually have to do something first.
Shane Vander Hart Reply:
October 10th, 2009 at 12:35 pm
@Angie, Also could you honestly say that he is more deserving than the people listed above?
No, I’m not claiming that. I do hope that some good will come of the award, if it can spur our leader and our country to continue to pursue peaceful efforts globally. Lord knows we have some ground to make up.
My point isn’t that Obama deserved it above others– my point is that I’m not going to look for the negative when our president gets kudos on an international level. It’s stuff like this that makes politics so draining.
I hear the awarded money is going to someone named “Charity”.
This “prize” has only been meaningful as a political statement for years. What a joke.
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[...] Caffeinated Thoughts: Those Who Didn’t Quite Measure Up to Obama For the Nobel Peace Prize: Shane has a listing up of some of the nominees who were passed up so that Barack Obama could win [...]