In Nobel Peace Prize Speech, President Obama to Discuss Sending Troop Escalation in Afghanistan
EmailOSLO, NORWAY — President Obama will embrace "the elephant in the room" and discuss his recent decision to deploy 30,000 more US troops to Afghanistan when he accepts the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo, Norway, on Thursday, his director of speechwriting told ABC News.
"The big thing on the president’s mind is that he is receiving the Nobel Peace Prize as the commander-in-chief of a nation in two wars," speechwriter Jon Favreau said in an interview to preview the event.
So the President will be discussing what these wars mean – his role, the US role – in the context of peace, especially "the idea that the fact that the US is not going to be able to avoid war entirely redoubles the US commitment to finding peace wherever we can," Favreau said. When President Obama took office, there were approximately 32,000 US troops in Afghanistan; by the end of next year than number will be closer to 100,000.
White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said today that "the president will address the notion that last week he authorized a 30,000-person increase in our commitment to Afghanistan, and this week accepts a prize for peace."
"The president is proud of is the steps that this administration has taken to re-engage the world," Gibbs said, adding that "some of that re-engagement is to bring increased peace and stability to this big planet."
The president sees the honor as less a recognition of what he has done than an affirmation of the desire for American leadership, officials said, suggesting that as the Nobel Committee said, the prize gives momentum to a set of causes the President has outlined – climate change, nuclear non-proliferation, strengthening international institutions and mechanisms to avoid war, closing the gulf in opportunity in countries where a lack of opportunity can breed conflict, human rights, and building bridges of understanding with Muslim world.
The president's first reaction on October 9 when he heard he would receive the Prize, Favreau said, was "he thought to himself 'I don’t feel like I should be in the company of the other people who have won this,'" such as Martin Luther King Jr., Nelson Mandela, and Burmese democracy activist Aung San Suu Kyi, imprisoned in Burma right now — in other words, "people who have inspired him and inspired millions."
Noted Favreau, "Mahatma Gandhi never even won this award."
Gibbs reiterated that today, saying that in his speech President Obama will "recognize that he doesn't belong in the same discussion as Mandela and Mother Theresa."
The speech is being written primarily by President Obama, officials said, with considerable help from Favreau and National Security Council staffer Ben Rhodes, and will be approximately 25 minutes long.
-jpt
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So why didn’t LBJ get the Nobel Peace Prize for sending the Air Mobile Division to Vietnam in ’65?
Posted by: jafo | December 9, 2009, 5:11 pm 5:11 pm
Maybe they will ask for it back. LOL.
Posted by: Rick McDaniel | December 9, 2009, 5:21 pm 5:21 pm
From Orwell’s 1984: War is Peace
Posted by: Denbo | December 9, 2009, 5:23 pm 5:23 pm
So why didn’t LBJ get the Nobel Peace Prize for sending the Air Mobile Division to Vietnam in ’65?
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Uhm . .. because Viet Nam wasn’t involved in 9/11?
Posted by: tierra | December 9, 2009, 5:32 pm 5:32 pm
If he doesn’t belong in that company, then why doesn’t he humbly refuse to accept! What a load of crap! “I’m so humble that I’m going to accept this award that I don’t think I deserve.” Which is it, Mr. President? Show some personal leadership, and then maybe you can see your way to lead the country more clearly!
Posted by: Denny | December 9, 2009, 5:50 pm 5:50 pm
Posted by: Denny | Dec 9, 2009 5:50:17 PM
Perhaps if you read a little more carefully, you wouldn’t make such hateful comments.
“The president sees the honor as less a recognition of what he has done than an affirmation of the desire for American leadership . . . suggesting that as the Nobel Committee said, the prize gives momentum to a set of causes the President has outlined – climate change, nuclear non-proliferation, strengthening international institutions and mechanisms to avoid war, closing the gulf in opportunity in countries where a lack of opportunity can breed conflict, human rights, and building bridges of understanding with Muslim world.”
Posted by: tierra | December 9, 2009, 6:09 pm 6:09 pm
This whole scenario could best be described as a joke.
The Nobel Peace bit the dust a year after the MSM died. Weird, huh?
Hope and Change fevah causes some to lose their freakin’ minds and follow the piper.
Posted by: Hans | December 9, 2009, 6:19 pm 6:19 pm
Number of wars ended:
Richard Nixon – 1
Barack Obama – 0
Posted by: mesquito | December 9, 2009, 6:31 pm 6:31 pm
Um tierra… You realize that “War” and “Peace” are NOT the same word, right? So how do you get a “Peace” prize for escalating and perpetuating war? “Bueller… Bueller… Bueller???”
Posted by: jafo | December 9, 2009, 7:28 pm 7:28 pm
Posted by: jafo | Dec 9, 2009 7:28:33 PM
jafo for some people it’s better if they actually read and learn before they preach . . .
“The president sees the honor as less a recognition of what he has done than an affirmation of the desire for American leadership . . . suggesting that as the Nobel Committee said, the prize gives momentum to a set of causes the President has outlined – climate change, nuclear non-proliferation, strengthening international institutions and mechanisms to avoid war, closing the gulf in opportunity in countries where a lack of opportunity can breed conflict, human rights, and building bridges of understanding with Muslim world.”
Posted by: tierra | December 9, 2009, 8:12 pm 8:12 pm
tierra —- I could shorten that for you.”"”Please accept this token of what you said you wanted to do”"”. Yes, the Nobel Peace Prize is simply a token now.
Posted by: lfrichar | December 9, 2009, 8:26 pm 8:26 pm
Posted by: lfrichar | Dec 9, 2009 8:26:45 PM
Some of those initiatives are under way. The seeds have been planted for the others.
I’m all for it.
Posted by: tierra | December 9, 2009, 8:31 pm 8:31 pm
5,000 peace activist will be protesting the War President/Nobel PC Prize winner.
The MSM wouldn’t dare show the pictures.
Posted by: mick | December 9, 2009, 8:48 pm 8:48 pm
Awwww
Obama had to snub the King of Norway so he couldn’t get caught bowing again.
How does he decide who to bow to?
Posted by: mick | December 9, 2009, 8:54 pm 8:54 pm
it’s going to suck. i don’t want it to, but it will. it will be filled with “I”s.
and jon favreau, the 27 year old playboy, is not a good speechwriter. he’s the most cliche-ridden writer ever. it’s a joke he’s got this spot.
he no ted sorenson, jfk’s writer.
there’s such an amateur quality to favreau’s writing, but it’s no surprise when he’s a 27 year old whose never experienced pain or struggle of serious weight in his life. he has none of the experiences and intelligence and age-old wisdom that makes good writers.
he’s a joke and this speech, i bet you, will be a terrible childish joke because his speechwriters suck and all Obama does is fill the speech with self-referential “I”s.
Yuck.
Posted by: l | December 9, 2009, 9:04 pm 9:04 pm
How does he decide who to bow to?
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He picks out which ones would most infuriate the right wing robots – and then he goes for it.
Bush and Saudis sitting in a tree – K-I-S-S-I-N-G.
Bush gazing lovingly into Putin’s eyes and seeing his beautiful soul.
Bush holding hands with Saudi royalty while strolling in the romantic gardens. LOVE that OIL!
Posted by: tierra | December 9, 2009, 9:06 pm 9:06 pm
“Show some personal leadership”
Denny, I agree. He should have refused. But the guy is infatuated with himself, and so he won’t ever do so. moral, schmoral. he’s all about self-promotion and the accolades for himself.
he makes me barf.
fifteen bucks that as he walks in, he’s going to have his head tilted up, and his nose tilted up, and a self-loving smirk of a smile on his face, like the snotty twitch he is — he always does that. it’s sickening to watch.
Posted by: l | December 9, 2009, 9:09 pm 9:09 pm
“he makes me barf.”
Posted by: l | Dec 9, 2009 9:09:53 PM
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No it wasn’t the ‘typos’ that made me question your expertise in judging speech writing.
Posted by: tierra | December 9, 2009, 9:52 pm 9:52 pm
So what if the President had decided to send 40,000 troops to Afghanistan? Think that would have been a harder sell to the Nobel Prize Committee?
I’m thinking that 30K was the number that kept the Peace Prize from being rescinded. It is just not right to win the Nobel Peace Prize and take the advice of a 5 star general on conducting a war. If he would have gone with the 40K they would have pulled the award and, well, its double jeopardy with those Nobel Prizes – once they pull the first one for too many troops they never give another one even when you retire and have nothing better to do.
That’s our President – he knows how to work the ropes.
Posted by: Lone Star Rules | December 9, 2009, 10:05 pm 10:05 pm
“I would have preferred President Obama declining the Award–openly and graciously–if he indeed had meant it when he said earlier that he did not deserve it. For him to accept it after telling the public he wasn’t worthy of it reveals uncomfortably a vanity and, more telling, a disturbing avarice.”
Posted by: Henry | December 9, 2009, 10:10 pm 10:10 pm
I’m thinking that 30K was the number that kept the Peace Prize from being rescinded. It is just not right to win the Nobel Peace Prize and take the advice of a 5 star general on conducting a war. If he would have gone with the 40K they would have pulled the award
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Exactly the kind of dumb conspiracy nonsense the Anti-Defamation League pointed to in their recent report.
Posted by: tierra | December 9, 2009, 10:16 pm 10:16 pm
The Nobel prize is becoming a joke. Mr. Obama Peace Prize? Ha Ha Ha. Mr. Gore? Ha Ha Ha.
In the meantime, Now 16 days with no sunspots. 2009 will the quietest sun in over 100 years. What could be causing this? C02 emissions? Maybe the sun is on verge of “winking out”. We’ll all die!
Posted by: Terry | December 9, 2009, 10:34 pm 10:34 pm
Posted by: Henry | Dec 9, 2009 10:10:35 PM
Henry, since your comment was in quotes I googled it which led me to your reader comment at the NYT. I really loved the comment above yours that was recommended so many times as it mentions things that are being said in Oslo that are press ignores. I encourage everybody to read it. Google “readers’ comments, Accepting Peace Prize Will Be a Test for Obama”
Posted by: Verity | December 9, 2009, 10:39 pm 10:39 pm
lol
Posted by: Chuck | December 9, 2009, 10:47 pm 10:47 pm
I don’t think He deserved the Prize, either…but it’s their award and they can give it to whomever they like. We have no say in it…kinda like the Heisman I suppose.
Of course, I and others lost any reverence or credibility for the Peace Prize once they started giving it for obvious Leftist political reasons years ago. Heck, maybe it’s been that way all along.
The Nobel Science prizes still seem to have merit however.
Posted by: RR GOP | December 9, 2009, 10:57 pm 10:57 pm
The Nobel Peace Prize is a joke, but no more than the Obama ‘Hope’ Presidency.
Obama can definitely talk the talk, but when it comes to walking the walk – he is only doing so with the big banks on Wall Street.
Case in point: Big banks deemed too big to fail are not even bigger AND backed up by taxpayers money – so they can take on more risk than ever before!
Only in America!
Posted by: Ray0071 | December 10, 2009, 3:08 am 3:08 am
If you kill enough of the bad guys, there will be peace. Lets do it to them before they do it to us.
Posted by: Frank | December 10, 2009, 10:54 am 10:54 am
Read some articles and books by former Muslims and see how “anti” the teachings of their book is. It is the exact opposite of the original book. It is impossible to reconcile such opposites without a real change of thinking. The thinking must be in line with the teaching of the Prince of Peace (the source of real peace)if there ever is going to be true peace.
Posted by: Alan | December 10, 2009, 3:09 pm 3:09 pm
I’m thinking that 30K was the number that kept the Peace Prize from being rescinded. It is just not right to win the Nobel Peace Prize and take the advice of a 5 star general on conducting a war. If he would have gone with the 40K they would have pulled the award
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Exactly the kind of dumb conspiracy nonsense the Anti-Defamation League pointed to in their recent report.
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Conspiracy? Go ahead and connect those dots for us on this one. There is like this huge misnomer in logic that just seems to oooze at times around here.
Wait! Get some of that racism in there too – get those dots located in the ozone someplace are fully covered.
Posted by: Lone Star Rules | December 10, 2009, 9:32 pm 9:32 pm
Barack Obama didn’t ask to win the award, and i would imagine that the reason he announced to the public he was undeserving of the award is because he’s embarrassed to be put in the same category as King jr. ect…
The Nobel Committee defined the award as momentum to help bring the Presidents Outline to life, Barack fits under that category. Now, maybe the Prize mnt something different in the past, but im pretty sure that if someone offered you(Tierra) a blogers award, you wouldn’t say no. You’d accept and point out all of the past and present blogers for their wonderful contributions.
Posted by: frank May | December 13, 2009, 11:39 pm 11:39 pm
Peace and 30,000 troops being shipped out. No need to secure the borders with troops.
BREAL
Posted by: BREAL | December 14, 2009, 10:35 am 10:35 am