Yes or no?
Personally, I voted for him and am generally happy with his performance, especially on the foreign policy front. Even so, I don’t think he deserves it and I don’t think he should accept it.
Would have voted for him if eligible, am not particularly happy with his performance, still generally supportive.
Unequivocal no on this- he doesn’t deserve it (yet).
I’m the lone dissenter so far. I voted yes, he should keep it. You just don’t turn something like that down. I would not have chosen him to receive the award, and I don’t think he deserves it, but the people in charge thought otherwise. He should accept the award graciously, and devote the remainder of his term to earning it.
I voted yes also. Turning it down wouldn’t have accomplished anything. There are a variety of messages a Nobel can send and this is as valid as any of them.
I vote “yes, with class and humility”. A good move would be to attribute this to people wanting hope and peace which is why he had a shot at becoming president.
Remember when some veteran sent Bush his Purple Heart as a gift, and there was a huge shitstorm on the SDMB because Bush didn’t do anything to earn it and still accepted it?
Me either.
Regards,
Shodan
I’m not entirely sure that’s relevant. Nobody is going to care if the Nobel Committee’s feelings are hurt, and they didn’t earn the NPP before giving it away.
I’m inclined to think you’re being sarcastic, but my searching doesn’t turn up a thread on it 
.
I’d say accept the prize. Makes him look good at home and abroad, lets him give another impassioned speech on non-proliferation, brotherhood, and puppies. Besides, it’s hardly his fault the committee decided to be hasty.
I agree, and with the same words.
Link?
So what are you saying? Are you saying you think it was good that President Bush accepted the purple heart and, likewise, it would be good if President Obama accepts the Nobel? Or that it was bad for President Bush and likewise bad for President Obama? Or are you saying there was no shitstorm with President Bush and this is a tempest in a teapot? Call me dense, but I am unclear.
Yes and contribute the financial part of the prize to ACORN. That should cause some appropriate heads to explode.
Declining would pointless. He should accept humbly “on behalf of the many Americans who work for peace”, and at the ceremony issue a call to world community to get to work themselves on living by those values that they ostensibly give awards for – y’know, gently lob it back to them.
Of course he woudl have to ask for the money to be sent to some impeccably-credentialled charity or educational institution.
I don’t think there’s a gracious way to decline a Nobel Prize. I think he should humbly accept it, then do his best to earn it after the fact.
/edit- on Preview, what Oakminster said.
It seems to me, listening to the announcement, that the awarding of the peace prize to Obama was corrupted by a desire to slap Bush the Younger in the face - He was, as I read things, awarded the prize for being NOT G. W. Bush. I certainly feel the Nobel Prize Committee corrupted their own internal processes and sold their integrity for a chance to take a poke at Bush.
On the other hand, Obama appears blameless in this. He handn’t earned it at the point of nomination, and I don’t think he’s earned it since then, but that’s not his fault.
Frankly, I think accepting it would underscore the corrupt nature of this award, so would not be offended if he did take it.
I don’t think accepting an unearned reward will make him look good anywhere.
Like he needs another chance? He could belch the ABCs, and it would get world-wide coverage. He hardly needs any help shoring up his soap box.
True and valid.
Earlier in another thread, I said he should accept it (I said he shouldn’t turn it down), because I thought it’d be disrespectful.
But I just voted that he should turn it down. If he got awarded the prize because of what the Nobel Committee wants him to do, that’s like all that soft money we all hate that influences legislation. The US has explicit rules about accepting gifts and money from foreign entities, and the Nobel Peace Prize people say they are trying to encourage winners to promote peace. Now I don’t think any sitting president should accept it.
Turn it down, humbly and graciously. He may well deserve it some day, but I don’t think he merits it this early in his international career. And it would be a properly self-effacing gesture to acknowledge that.
I think the counter-argument of accepting it politely is also semi-reasonable ( he was chosen by others, who is he to argue ). But I would prefer he declined.
I’m reading his statement, and damn, but it’s classy. (I especially liked:
“After I received the news, Malia walked in and said, ‘Daddy, you won the Nobel Peace Prize, and it is Bo’s birthday.’
And then Sasha added, ‘Plus, we have a three-day weekend coming up.’
So it’s – it’s good to have kids to keep things in perspective.”)
Not bad.
Oh, Obama, I can’t stay mad at you.