# George W. Bush Did Not Win the Nobel Peace Prize **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 10, 2003, 9:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-w-bush-did-not-win-the-nobel-peace-prize/206642 "2003-10-10T09:04:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Aro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b3f665/32.png) [@Aro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aro)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2003, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-w-bush-did-not-win-the-nobel-peace-prize/206642/41 "2003-10-10T13:12:24Z")
**Ruadh** : **[1] His OO membership** What has this possibly got to do with anything at all? Other than you showing your prejudices against a perfectly legal organisation? **[2] His association with/ defence of loyalist extremists linked to sectarian assassinations (Billy Abernethy etc)** Did you glean this nugget from the discredited _“The Committee”_? Trimble may have known Billy Wright but show me your evidence of any other connection? Working in a University position with a collegue who later does something illegal is hardly evidence of complicity. So, again, this is not the issue. **[3] Drumcree 1995. Enough fucking said.** No, not enough said. I’ll give you he acted like an ass, on occasion. He was too defient in his manner. Yet, standing up for peoples right to free assembly in the face of extreme violence and pure sectarianism is not an ignoble act. YMMV. **[4] The fact (suspected at the time but proved with hindsight) that his self-preservation instincts were, and remain, stronger than his interest in peace.** What, again, do you fault in his interest in peace? He has been entirely consistent. Again this is attack is purely innuendo and opinion. Show some reasons as to what you feel he _should_ be doing? Also, please demonstrate how any current actions (however you see them) can now have any bearing on the bestowing of an award five years previously? Anyhow, this is a ridiculous hi-jack and I’m out all afternoon, so we can do this later, if you prefer. But try to remember, Trimble has most certainly done more than any other person in NI to bring stability and peace to the region. Whether you like him or not, he is by far the most important player in the process and if he is ousted then everything that has happening in the past 6-7 years is gone. His award was well deserved, much more so than most. Ask yourself this; would you prefer the DUP? Also, check your parties stance – Martin McGuinness had a lot of good words to say about Trimble last night on _“Hearts & Minds”_, so maybe he has been taken off the Sinn Fein _‘Boogie Man’_ list. ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2003, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-w-bush-did-not-win-the-nobel-peace-prize/206642/42 "2003-10-10T13:13:23Z")
I’ve always said they should give me the Nobel Peace Prize. After all, I’m a nice guy, and I haven’t even destroyed any small Southeast Asian countries lately. ---
**Author:** ![LibrarySpy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f9ae1b/32.png) [@LibrarySpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LibrarySpy)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2003, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-w-bush-did-not-win-the-nobel-peace-prize/206642/43 "2003-10-10T13:41:22Z")
I see **Aro** has posted on this with more education, quite beautifully. But I’ll muddle in. If I were giving the Nobel Prizes, Arafat certainly wouldn’t get one **today** , but that doesn’t take away my belief that he deserved one **then**. The prize isn’t for good people. There are no saints. Even Mother Theresa and Alfred Nobel had bloodstained hands. From the linked book above… > [@](#): > > prizes are often awarded to make a political statement, especially those for literature and peace. Statements: 1. Peace in Northern Ireland is good. 2. Mideast peace is good. 3. Bombing the shit out of Iran is shortsighted. To echo Aro’s sentiment–What’s the alternative? ---
**Author:** ![cuauhtemoc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecb155/32.png) [@cuauhtemoc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cuauhtemoc)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2003, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-w-bush-did-not-win-the-nobel-peace-prize/206642/44 "2003-10-10T14:12:37Z")
Cher wasn’t taken seriously as an actress until she won the Nobel Peace Prize. ---
**Author:** ![JeffB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeffb/32/188_2.png) [@JeffB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JeffB)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2003, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-w-bush-did-not-win-the-nobel-peace-prize/206642/45 "2003-10-10T14:15:24Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by flodnak \* > You can’t just get anybody to nominate you. Well, you can, but their letter will be tossed and it won’t count as a formal nomination. Previous NPP winners can nominate people, as can members of national legislatures, and some other groups I can’t remember right now. From the [Nebel _e_-Museum](http://www.nobel.se/peace/nomination/nominators.html): [quote] The Nominators – Peace Right to submit proposals for the Nobel Peace Prize, based on the principle of competence and universality, shall by statute be enjoyed by: [list=1][li]Members of national assemblies and governments of states; [/li][li]Members of international courts; [/li][li]University rectors; professors of social sciences, history, philosophy, law and theology; directors of peace research institutes and foreign policy institutes; [/li][li]Persons who have been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize; [/li][li]Board members of organizations who have been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize; [/li][li]Active and former members of the Norwegian Nobel Committee; (proposals by members of the Committee to be submitted no later than at the first meeting of the Committee after February 1) and [/li][li]Former advisers appointed by the Norwegian Nobel Institute.[/list=1][/li][/quote] Since I work at a college, I think I’ll wander over to the history department and see if one of the professors will nominate me. ---
**Author:** ![ruadh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d2c977/32.png) [@ruadh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ruadh)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2003, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-w-bush-did-not-win-the-nobel-peace-prize/206642/46 "2003-10-10T14:20:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Aro \* > **[1] His OO membership > What has this possibly got to do with anything at all? Other than you showing your prejudices against a perfectly legal organisation?** Legality has nothing to do with it. The KKK are legal in America, too. I wouldn’t give any of its members a peace prize either. > [@](#): > > [2] His association with/ defence of loyalist extremists linked to sectarian assassinations (Billy Abernethy etc) > Did you glean this nugget from the discredited _“The Committee”_? One, “The Committee” has _not_ been discredited. Only _one_ of the several lawsuits filed over that book went against the author - and that one was to do with particular individuals, not with the events overall, and would not have been settled at all if not for the determination that they were “private individuals”. And two, it’s not the Billy Wrights I’m talking about here, it’s the “respectable” ones that (“allegedly”) ran the Committee. And Trimble’s association with these people was not in dispute. He mentioned phoning up one of them (Richard Monteith) in his court statement, FFS. > [@](#): > > [3] Drumcree 1995. Enough fucking said. > No, not enough said. I’ll give you he acted like an ass, on occasion. He was too defient in his manner. Yet, standing up for peoples right to free assembly in the face of extreme violence and pure sectarianism is not an ignoble act. YMMV. “Free assembly” my arse, and nobody who really cares about peace grabs Ian Paisley’s hand. > [@](#): > > What, again, do you fault in his interest in peace? He has been entirely consistent. Well, I’ll give you that anyway :rolleyes: Trimble pulled out of the Assembly and has fought the holding of elections for one reason and one reason only: to save his political skin. He knows perfectly well that the IRA are no threat to peace (or that if they are, it will be _because_ of his suspension of the process). They are, however, a threat to his leadership and _that_ is why he is doing what he’s doing. Not the actions of a man really interested in peace at all. > [@](#): > > Also, please demonstrate how any current actions (however you see them) can now have any bearing on the bestowing of an award five years previously? Goes to intention, your honour. > [@](#): > > Also, check your parties stance – Martin McGuinness had a lot of good words to say about Trimble last night on _“Hearts & Minds”_, so maybe he has been taken off the Sinn Fein _‘Boogie Man’_ list. I am _far_ better placed than you to know my party’s stance on David Trimble, thank you very much. ---
**Author:** ![cuauhtemoc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecb155/32.png) [@cuauhtemoc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cuauhtemoc)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2003, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-w-bush-did-not-win-the-nobel-peace-prize/206642/47 "2003-10-10T14:28:46Z")
Remember when Billy Crystal used to host the Nobels? He was great, I don’t care what anybody says. I stopped watching after he left though. ---
**Author:** ![Bruce\_Daddy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/85f322/32.png) [@Bruce\_Daddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bruce_Daddy)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2003, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-w-bush-did-not-win-the-nobel-peace-prize/206642/48 "2003-10-10T14:29:07Z")
Car wreck damages wall at Playboy mansion. Police looking into it. Details after the game. ---
**Author:** ![UncleBeer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/977dab/32.png) [@UncleBeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBeer)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2003, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-w-bush-did-not-win-the-nobel-peace-prize/206642/49 "2003-10-10T19:40:26Z")
Can you guys take the Trimble argument elsewhere? Else I fear I’ll have to move this _back_ to the Pit. ---
**Author:** ![BlackKnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/eb8c5e/32.png) [@BlackKnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlackKnight)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2003, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-w-bush-did-not-win-the-nobel-peace-prize/206642/50 "2003-10-10T19:50:44Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by adam yax \* > \*\*You do know that John Gotti is dead as well, don’t you? \*\* Let’s be fair here - he certainly promotes peace better dead than alive. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2003, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-w-bush-did-not-win-the-nobel-peace-prize/206642/51 "2003-10-10T19:59:52Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by JeffB \* > Since I work at a college, I think I’ll wander over to the history department and see if one of the professors will nominate me. Using this clause, right? “University rectors; professors of social sciences, history, philosophy, law and theology; directors of peace research institutes and foreign policy institutes” I hereby declare the formation of the Cecil Adams Memorial Institute for Peace, Love and Understanding, **JeffB** Director. It is hereby moved that Ed Zotti be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of his 30 years of fighting ignorance, and that the secretary send a letter to Oslo forthwith so stating. Yes, it’s that easy. ---
**Author:** ![Duke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e8c25b/32.png) [@Duke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2003, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-w-bush-did-not-win-the-nobel-peace-prize/206642/52 "2003-10-10T20:01:44Z")
From **JeffB** ’s linked list of those who can submit Peace Prize nominees: > [@](#): > > University rectors; professors of social sciences, _history_, philosophy, law and theology; directors of peace research institutes and foreign policy institutes (my italics) Cool! I’m going to ask my thesis supervisor to nominate me for next year. I stopped one of our secretaries from killing her boss yesterday, so that’s got to count for _something_. ---
**Author:** ![JeffB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeffb/32/188_2.png) [@JeffB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JeffB)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2003, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-w-bush-did-not-win-the-nobel-peace-prize/206642/53 "2003-10-12T20:38:44Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ElvisL1ves \* > I hereby declare the formation of the Cecil Adams Memorial Institute for Peace, Love and Understanding, **JeffB** Director. Groovy, baby. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-w-bush-did-not-win-the-nobel-peace-prize/206642.md?page=2)