Nobel, Neda, The Gays, and Clinton on Accolades v. Shoes
10 October 2009 10:35 am by Taylor Marsh
“Certainly from our standpoint, this gives us a sense of momentum — when the United States has accolades tossed its way, rather than shoes.” – Secretary Hillary Clinton
And the hits just keep on comin’. Well said, Madame Secretary.
Though Obama’s Nobel has sparked a lot of conversation, some of it leading to better choices, as well as chances for the President to prove he meant it when he said it was a “call to action.”
Lawrence O’Donnell asked a question on “Morning Joe” yesterday, in the midst of a deplorable exhibition from both Joe Scarborough and Mark Halperin, with Chuck Todd playing his usual sidekick role. The question, paraphrased, was put to the group: Who else besides Obama deserved the Nobel Prize for Peace?
The Washington Post editorial today takes up that question and actually answers it: Neda Agha Soltan, the woman murdered in Iran during the “green wave” uprising.
Unfortunately, the international community has a knee jerk reaction even to citizen Iranians, neglecting to imagine what honoring a martyr of the Iranian “green wave”, which was as close to a revolution as we’ve seen in that country since 1979, might have meant to Iran, but also the entire Middle East, including “peace” talks going forward. The Post editorial subheading giving Obama the break he deserves:
Our Laureate: Neda of Iran
President Obama has won the Nobel Prize for Peace — but that’s not his fault.
No, it wasn’t. But Pres. Obama is not near as imaginative and important a choice as Neda would have been. We can now only imagine the message that might have been sent if this quiet heroine had been acknowledged posthumously.
That said, as I said in the comments yesterday, it’s quite possible that this award will rock Obama, since he was clearly embarrassed by the nod; even as he was forced to realize his shortcomings of leadership so far while understanding the Nobel Committee’s purpose, which is to inspire him to do the great things his candidacy once promised. Ironic that the more you think about the Nobel award the more important it becomes to Obama. The Committee reminding him of what Ted Kennedy said often: to much is given much is expected. Serving warning to Pres. Obama, reminding him of his charge of change.
It’s a burden he will carry lightly only if he succeeds.
As proof he gets it, perhaps Pres. Obama will use tonight to begin living up to his Nobel when he speaks at the Human Rights Campaign dinner. Crawling out from underneath his cowardice on DADT, not to mention the Defense of Marriage Act, and live up to what he promised a Democratic constituency who for far too long has had to endure second-class citizenship. The military men and women of this community made to suffer insults and personal hardship through the shame of DADT. As commander in chief, Pres. Obama owes these people even more.
