Now that President Obama has won the Nobel Peace Prize, the weight on him to perform and fulfill what the Peace Prize represents, creates a greater challenge than any President has had since John F. Kennedy and the Cuban Missile Crisis.
The challenges of Iran, North Korea, Iraq, Afghanistan, the Middle East, Venezuela and numerous other issues complicate the goals of promoting world peace and ultimate nuclear disarmament.
Obama has the world behind him with the exception of the terrorists represented by Al Qaeda and the Taliban, who have denounced the awarding of the Peace Prize to him. Of course there is one more major critic: the right wing talk shows hosts, Fox, and of course, the bulk of the Republican party opposition.
It was very statesmanlike for Senator John McCain to congratulate President Obama, and to see the award as good news for the nation. But of course, Michael Steele, the GOP National Chairman, had to, again, prove how disgraceful and useless he is, by his statements critical of Obama, rather than rejoice in the honor of the moment. And Rush Limbaugh was his usual, predictably obnoxious self, denouncing the world and evoking super American nationalism’s attitude of condemning Europe and the United Nations.
Imagine cynical young and older people coming up with a conspiracy theory that the award was fixed, and even arranged by the President himself–this following his obvious inability to “fix” the Olympic Games location for 2016 in his home city of Chicago.
When we reach the point that many people in our country can condemn an honor bestowed on our President, which he made clear was an honor for the nation, then we have reached a dangerously poisonous atmosphere that is highly disturbing.
The President is pursuing a series of goals to improve the world scene, and he is graciously, appropriately, arranging for the $1.4 million prize to be donated to charity.
Despite the criticism and hypocrisy that is emerging, the nation should be rightfully proud of our President, who is emerging as a statesman!