President Barack Obama’s receipt of the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize on Friday not only rivaled the celebration for the family dog’s first birthday, it also sparked a tumultuous response ranging from unbridled support to complete disbelief. Obama, who has the honor in common with such historical greats as Martin Luther King, Jr. and Mother Theresa, didn’t quite seem to know what to make of it himself, saying that he’s going to look at it not as a congratulations for that which he has accomplished but rather as ‘a call to action.’ This is a good start, because skeptics are viewing his prize as little more than something like a raise just for showing up.
They may be right. Obama has made some significant strides as the newest American president, especially those regarding nuclear weapons and foreign diplomacy. But just as with most presidents in their first several months of holding office, Obama’s strides are just that: strides. They don’t warrant one of the most coveted awards ever presented, and they are by no means complete. Giving Obama a Nobel Peace Prize not only detracts from the honor of past recipients who truly initiated and completed projects that promoted the central tenets of the Prize, but it also mocks his own performance as president. It makes him seem fake, over-branded, less like the leader of a nation and more like a celebrity sponge for flattery. Or perhaps, it makes him look like the prodigy child who has got his family under the impression that everything he touches turns to gold, even though that’s patently impossible.
And on top of that, the award has only given fodder to fuel the fire started by Obama’s opponents, who found him to be too much of a brand and too little of a courageous leader from the beginning. This camp believes Obama has been overly praised to the point that he’s shirking his responsibility to make tough decisions and get his hands dirty ‘- and presenting him with this most respectable award may only worsen that stigma. But if Obama really meant it when he said he was going to use the award as ‘a call to action,’ he should be given a chance to prove that as a Nobel Peace Prize recipient. Now more than ever, he is on a stage where his every move will be crucial, and analyzed by both his supporters and opposition. His Peace Prize added volumes to the dialogue about Obama that already existed, and now, he has to walk the corresponding walk.’
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