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Friday, October 9. 2009

A Noble Award

This is a decision that makes me scratch my head: the Nobel Committee awarded President Barack Obama the Nobel Peace Prize. The president hasn’t accomplished much yet in the way of world peace. He gave a few great speeches, one in Berlin, Germany when he was running for president and other this year in Cairo, Egypt. But speeches shouldn’t be the standard for awarding what many consider the pre-imminent honor for worldwide public service.

The committee spokesperson said the award was for what the president will potentially do as president, to encourage the president to follow through on his promise of hope and peace in the world. That’s a laudable reason, but does it really meet the standard set with past recipients?

I’m behind the hope President Obama brings to America and the world, support his efforts to bring peace to the Middle East (and around the world) and an end to nuclear weapons, world hunger and global warming, but until he’s made significant advancements in any or all of these areas (and more), he doesn’t quite rate getting the honor.

It diminishes the president’s reputation. Giving the award to him now says that all it takes is a certain amount of star power to win, like a show business awards show.
 I’m half-expecting to see Bono charging the stage, grabbing the microphone and telling everyone President Sarkozy of France has done more to earn that honor. I’m still laughing about the “Kanye West Incident.”
 I’d give Sarkozy a prize just for marrying fashion model Carla Bruni! Yowza!

The president though, in an impromptu address this morning, said he didn’t feel he deserved to be in the same company of those who have already won, like President Jimmy Carter and the Dalai Lama.

That’s ironic. His Holiness the Dalai Lama is visiting Washington, D.C. right now and the president isn’t going to greet the man, the first sitting president not to meet with the leader of the Buddhist World. In the past, when China was more of an adversary than a rapacious creditor, inviting His Holiness to the White House was a way of sending a message to the leadership in Beijing — na-na-na-na-na-naaa!

Now, with so much on the line with China, economically most pressingly, the White House has decided the president ought not meet with the Dalai Lama. It’s the same as refusing to meet with His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI. A lot of Christians, Catholics in particular, might take offense to comparing the Dalai Lama to the Pope, but their stations in this world are the same. In fact, the Dalai Lama represents many more religious people than the Pope so maybe his station and influence in this world is far greater than the Holy Pontiff.
 For those who may not know, China invaded Tibet in 1950 and by 1959 the 14th Dalai Lama and his administration were forced into exile in India.

The president ought to forget about the Chinese and meet with the Dalai Lama. It’s the right thing to do.

Still, regardless of whether or not President Obama has earned the Nobel Prize for Peace, it is an honor for the United States and we ought to celebrate that much. President Obama is a beacon of new hope, or maybe the traditional hope, of America, the kind of optimism that makes our nation a place millions aspire to be a part of as they try to immigrate here. Can’t argue with that.
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On a sad not: my friend Ray — Gray Ray — is in a bad way in the hospital. His heart is finally giving out and, well, it doesn’t look good. He’s resting in the hospital so we’ll see. I’ve known Ray for nearly 15 years. He and his wife Patty are and will remain in my thoughts.

Posted by Tim Forkes in NEWS and POLITICS at 12:01 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

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