11 December 2009

Nobel irony

Yesterday, President Barack Obama accepted the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo.

This came just nine days after Obama announced that he would be sending an additional 30,000 U.S. troops to Afghanistan, like sheep to the slaughter, in a major escalation of that unnecessary, ongoing, needlessly long-standing conflict. In fact, in his Nobel acceptance speech, Obama tried to justify it as necessary.

Call me cynical, but it strikes me as somewhat ironic.

Call me idealistic, Mr. President, but I don't think your war is necessary at all.

I think war in general is a misguided physical reaction to a difference in world views and philosophies that would be much better addressed via a meeting of the minds rather than a meeting of the fists, missiles, and bombs.

I think the prize would have been better deserved had Obama instead announced a responsible withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Of course, the Nobel Prize Committee could not have foreseen this when they cast their votes earlier this year. And so I suspect some crow sandwiches were on the menu in Norway yesterday.

No comments:

Post a Comment