Straight Talk Commentary – In my previous post Actions Speak Louder Than Words, I responded almost immediately (uncharacteristically) to the announcement of the President’s receiving the Nobel Peace Prize. Just as follow up: Perhaps no one has commented on it better than Israeli Statesman Yoram Ettinger whose opinion piece follows. There was another very point on comment about the President’s receiving the Prize by Charles Krauthammer worth noting. Even Tom Friedman at “The New York Times” weighed in on Sunday it is the American soldier and sailor who deserves the award as the real peacekeeper.

It was interesting to hear today that the Nobel Committee answered their critics by saying that the President had done a lot to lessen tension in the World.

What really caught my eye according to the Associated Press report was the reaction by Committee member, Inger-Marie Ytterhorn. The AP reported:

For nine-year Nobel committee veteran Inger-Marie Ytterhorn, Obama's demeanor spoke volumes when he first acknowledged the award during a news conference Friday on the lawn of the White House Rose Garden.

"I looked at his face when he was on TV and confirmed that he would receive the prize and would come to Norway, and he didn't look particularly happy,"

Obama’s Nobel Prize: A blatant attempt to Europeanize US policy

By: Ambassador (ret.) Yoram Ettinger,

Ynet

October 12, 2009

Tell me who are the committee members of the Nobel Prize for Peace, and I'll tell you why it was awarded to President Obama.

According to Alfred Nobel's will – and in contrast with other Nobel Prize committees – the members of the Nobel Prize for Peace committee are not experts, but politicians, members of the Norwegian Parliament.

The chairman of the committee, Thorbjorn Jagland, former Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Norway, is the Vice President and the Chairman of the Middle East Committee of the "Socialist International," known for its opposition to US and Israeli policies.  He is, also, the Chairman of the "Oslo Center for Peace and Human Rights," which advocates a Dovish-Leftist world view, in cooperation with former President Jimmy Carter, who is close to President Obama and a role-model for the new Nobel Laureate.

Along with other members of the Committee, Jagland, represents a Parliament, which has called to recognize Hamas, to dialogue with Iran, to tolerate rogue regimes, to enhance ties with Moslem regimes, to condemn (what he terms) Islamophobia and to criticize systematically the policies of Washington (until Obama's victory) and Jerusalem.

Awarding Obama the Nobel Peace Prize – in spite of the fact that the deadline for nominations was February 1, 10 days into Obama's Administration – constitutes a transparent attempt by European politicians to bolster Obama's determination in the global arena and improve Obama's standing in the domestic arena. While Obama's stock have risen internationally, it has deteriorated internally, in light of his lack of success in the areas of unemployment, taxes, budget deficit, health insurance reform, Afghanistan, Iran, North Korea, Venezuela, Russia and Al-Qaida.

Jagland and his colleagues are determined to provide Obama with a tailwind. They consider him the most UN-driven American President since Woodrow Wilson, who established the League of Nations in 1920. They are encouraging him to sustain his efforts to endear the UN to the American people and legislators and to highlight the UN as the key formulator of international relations. They identify with – and are eager to advance – Obama's world view, as they assess it: that the superpower role of the US is over; that moral equivalence – and not moral superiority – dominates relations between the US and non Western democracies; that the West must reconcile itself to the rise of the Moslem World; that the US must desist from unilateral political and military initiatives; that the US should advance multilateral initiatives which reflect values and attitudes shared by the majority of the UN membership; that there is no military option against Iran; that the battle against Islamic terrorism must be conducted diplomatically, economically and legally and not militarily; that there should not be a surge in Afghanistan; that retreat from Iraq should be accelerated; that the Palestinian issue is the core cause of Middle East turbulence and anti-Western Islamic terrorism, etc.

Awarding the Nobel Peace Prize to President Obama does not reflect respect, by the Nobel Price Committee, for the American President. It does not intend to express appreciation of the American legacy and American human and mega-billion dollar monetary sacrifice, which spared Europe defeat during World War I and World War II, produced victory over Communism and minimized Islamic terrorism in Europe. The Nobel Peace Prize Committee strives to improve Obama's image among Americans and to leverage his presidency, in order to Europeanize US policy, thus accomplishing the "wet dream" of US critics, rivals and enemies. Reservations expressed by most of the US public, legislators and media suggests that the Norwegian politicians may relive the Biblical episode of Balaam in reverse: They came to bless, but ended up cursing.    

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