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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsObama admin rebuked Norway over "Fawning" Nobel peace prize
Obama administration rebuked Norway over Nobel peace prize, diplomat says President's chief of staff scolded diplomat over 'fawning' award
Diplomat describes day as his 'most embarrassing at the UN'
Barack Obama's administration rebuked Norway after he won the 2009 Nobel peace prize, saying it was an awkward honour for an as-yet untested leader, a Norwegian diplomat revealed on Thursday.
"My most embarrassing day at the UN, at the time when I was Norway's ambassador there, was when Obama's Nobel peace prize was announced. Nobody was talking about it," said Morten Wetland, who served at the UN from 2008 to 2012.
"My colleague in Washington received a reprimand from Obama's chief of staff [Rahn Emmanuel, at the time]. The word 'fawning' was used," Wetland added in an article in Norwegian daily Dagens Naeringsliv.
The diplomat said that the prize put Obama, who was nominated for the prize just weeks after taking office, in a difficult position. "An American president wants to set his own agenda. Here he was forced into a role that he hadn't sought," Wetland said. "It could seem like somebody did this to make Obama visit the country."
MORE:
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/may/15/obama-nobel-peace-prize-norway-rebuke-war
exboyfil
(17,865 posts)the time and getting heat on this board. Obama is a vast improvement over the previous occupant, but he did not deserve the prize then and has done little to deserve it now. He still has three years, and he wound down Iraq and moving that way towards Afghanistan. He might yet deserve it.
Maedhros
(10,007 posts)and increased the number of military operations in Africa by 265%. Not so peaceful.
FiveGoodMen
(20,018 posts)Man of peace.
pampango
(24,692 posts)of Obama's winning that Nobel peace prize.
FiveGoodMen
(20,018 posts)How is the criticism NOT justified?
Demeter
(85,373 posts)"No thank you" would have been polite.
Bad-mouthing the Norwegians because one looks like an ass for taking a peace prize and not delivering on it is just....beyond rude and tacky. We don't have words for it.
Jackpine Radical
(45,274 posts)as I read through this thread.
Jim Lane
(11,175 posts)It's become public now only because a Norwegian diplomat chose to share with all the world what someone in the Obama administration intended to be much more limited.
Demeter
(85,373 posts)Since anything can be made public at any point....the polite thing is:"If you can't say something nice, don't say nothing at all"---Thumper's mother.
Jim Lane
(11,175 posts)An axiom that's touted to volunteers in the Sierra Club is: "Praise publicly, criticize privately." That's what the Obama people did here. I don't agree with suppressing all criticism. (Of course, there are times when even private criticism doesn't get the job done and you have to go public, but this wasn't one of them.)
pampango
(24,692 posts)nuclear nonproliferation and a "new climate" in international relations fostered by Obama, especially in reaching out to the Muslim world."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_Nobel_Peace_Prize
I am not sure that he would have gained anything by showing the Nobel committee up. He had been in office for 9 months and had plans that might not have been helped by publicly refusing the award.
FiveGoodMen
(20,018 posts)which he announced in his Peace Prize acceptance speech.
arely staircase
(12,482 posts)Which is what he was elected and reelected to be.
Cha
(297,935 posts)the money to charity of course.
Yeah, there's the fucking "drones" but he goes the Peaceful route when it's possible while trying to protect us.. and I for one appreciate that.
reformist2
(9,841 posts)I knew the Repugs were going to have a field day with it - and for the first time I thought they had every right to!
m-lekktor
(3,675 posts)it put him on the spot.
Jackpine Radical
(45,274 posts)I should think the Obama Administration would have had an opportunity to quietly withdraw his name from consideration before things went too far.
Berating the Norwegians in the aftermath is pretty tacky.
Codeine
(25,586 posts)Rex
(65,616 posts)I think the world breathed a collective sigh of relief.
struggle4progress
(118,379 posts)Uncle Joe
(58,506 posts)War Horse
(931 posts)In some respects certainly he got it for "not being Bush".
Don't get me wrong, I like Obama, and I also breathed a huge sigh of relief when Bush was gone.
But I also felt a bit embarrassed as a Norwegian when Obama was awarded the prize. "For what?", was a pretty common question around here. "What on Earth has he done to deserve this?" And Obama is well liked here, please don't get me wrong.
My feeling is that is was kind of a "preemptive" thing. Or wishful thinking, or whatever. I have a lot of respect for some members of the Nobel committee, but collectively they sometimes seem incredibly naive.
It kind of reminds me of this: http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1994/
100 % well meant, it was a risky thing to do, and understandable in many, many ways. But in hindsight it didn't really accomplish much.
JI7
(89,283 posts)rudolph the red
(666 posts)Demo_Chris
(6,234 posts)I'd post pictures of Obama's shredded children (aka "Future Terrorists" but some might find that offensive or traumatic.
Cha
(297,935 posts)Demo_Chris
(6,234 posts)Bush, sick fuck that he was, at least had an excuse beyond imaginary WMDs for his wars. He was, in fact, eliminating one of most twisted and evil dictators on the planet, and it did, in fact, launch a wave of Democratic reform in the middle east. We don't talk about that because he was on the other team (and nowhere near as charismatic), but there's a reason basically everyone in Washington including both Clintons (as well as notable leftists like Hitchens) supported the actions. What's Obama's excuse for keeping it going and what's your excuse for giving him a pass? We aren't killing dictators now, we are killing and mutilating children, and for no reason anyone can work out in countries we have never actually declared war on.
If my great crime is anger, yours is partisanship that has smothered not only your vision, but your morals.
arely staircase
(12,482 posts)He is actually worse than Bush?
Cha
(297,935 posts)and nothing about the President.
LordGlenconner
(1,348 posts)It's more like melodrama and this performance in the above post is Oscar worthy (or whatever the web equivalent would be).
Cha
(297,935 posts)the ugliness.
arely staircase
(12,482 posts)MisterP
(23,730 posts)Cha
(297,935 posts)of his Admin.