Obama Becomes Superman
This wasn’t the topic I was planning on writing about today, but I think I would be remiss if I didn’t. President Barack Obama has already joked about being born on Krypton and talked about ridding the world of all nuclear weapons and now we has become a symbol of peace for the entire world.
Today, President Obama surprisingly won the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize. He didn’t win this honor because of the actions he had taken, but rather because of the hope of actions not yet taken. Obama’s speech in Cairo earlier this year probably helped to put many in the Islamic world at peace after the 8 years of Crusade rhetoric from the Bush Administration. But that alone was not the reason for the honor.
The Nobel committee believes that Obama can do more. They are hopeful that he will be able to quell international terrorism, help to reverse global climate change, foster global diplomacy and international relations, and work to rid the world of all nuclear weapons.
I think part of this honor is a way of inspiring America back to the role of global leader and international community builder that we lost during the Bush years. Under Bush, America got the global reputation as being a bully rather than a leader and as a nation who goes it alone rather than a nation who unites other nations together in common cause. For Barack Obama, the Nobel Peace Prize isn’t recognition of achievement, but rather a call to action… not only for the President but for others to rally behind the President.
Filed under: Current Events, global climate change, Obama, Politics