Obama Snubs the Dalai Lama, Wins Nobel Peace Prize

In the Spring of 2008 then candidate for the Presidency Senator Barack Obama loudly proclaimed that President George W. Bush should boycott the opening ceremonies of the Olympics hosted in Beijing. Chief among Senator Obama’s concerns was China’s horrendous human rights record as it applies specifically to Tibet. In his own words: “If the Chinese do not take steps … to respect the dignity, security and human rights of the Tibetan people, then the president should boycott the opening ceremonies.” Speaking even more firmly he added: “We have not been consistent enough and tough enough in pushing them to deal with Tibet properly.” Taking him at face value one cannot help but conclude that candidate for President Senator Barack Obama was deeply concerned for and respectful of the plight of the Tibetan people enduring Chinese occupation and oppression.

What a difference eighteen months makes.

This second week of October 2009 has seen President Barack Obama make history again. With the Dalai Lama’s arrival in Washington on Monday President Obama became the first President in thirty years not to meet with the exiled Tibetan holy man as he visited the land of the free and the home of the brave. While prominent law makers of both political parties bent over backwards to meet with the Dalai Lama and express their support for the goal of a free Tibet the White House announced the President would “postpone” meeting with the Dalai Lama until after the President’s visit to Beijing next month. Perhaps in an ironic foreshadowing at the same time he was asking President Bush to boycott the Beijing opening ceremonies then candidate Obama observed “it’s very hard to tell your banker that he’s wrong.” Hence whereas candidate Obama asked President Bush to boycott Beijing on behalf of Tibet President Obama has now officially boycotted the Dalai Lama on behalf of Beijing.

Wait, there’s more.

Beginning this historic week by snubbing the Dalai Lama President Obama now ends the week by sharing a unique distinction with the exiled holy man: they are both Nobel Peace Prize winners. Twenty years after the Dalai Lama won the Nobel Peace Prize, the first President in thirty years to snub him has won one as well. The irony might be less bitter if one could point to some accomplishment of the President’s which would warrant this one time prestigious award finding it’s way to the White House for the third time in history. This begs the question how does Obama’s award compare to that of his two Presidential predecessors?

Teddy Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson, though politically from different sides of the spectrum, both won Nobel Peace prizes late into their presidencies for genuine, documented, history changing accomplishments. In the case of Teddy Roosevelt he mediated an end to the Russo-Japanese War while Woodrow Wilson would go on to win for founding the League of Nations, the predecessor to the United Nations. Consider that for a moment. Roosevelt actively helped bring an end to a war saving lives and Wilson founded an organization which sought to permanently end wars by establishing an international forum for diplomatic resolution to conflicts. So what exactly has Barack Obama done to deserve this honor?

“For his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples” the Nobel Committee has awarded Barack Obama the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize. To quote Elvis Presley in “Viva Las Vegas”, “there’s just a couple of few things wrong with that”.

The nominating process for the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize closed eleven days after Barack Obama took the oath of office. Eleven days! Is there anyone, and I mean anyone, who will dare claim that in eleven days Barack Obama made “extraordiarny efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples”? Roosevelt and Wilson were into their second terms as President when they were nominated and then subsequently won this award, not their second week! The only thing that we can conclude, if we are feeling generous, is that the Nobel Prize Committee has faith that President Obama will accomplish these things for he most certainly has not as of yet accomplished anything of substance on the world stage.

We have indeed entered a new age where accomplishments, though nice, are not necessary for (perceived) intentions apparently are all the matter. In that spirit I would like to suggest that all students entering their first year of High School be awarded a diploma on day one as long as they intend to graduate and while we’re at it let’s give gold medals to anyone who ever even thought of someday competing in the Olympics. Still I can’t help but have some nagging doubts about this new era of good intention as I seem to recall an old saying about some road to somewhere nasty being paved with good intentions.