Obama earned the Nobel Peace prize in the first few moments of his presidency. Though one could certainly fault Obama for not more fully repudiating the policies of his predecessor one can not minimize the scope of of change from the broad powers claimed by his predecessor and his rival.
Bush campaigned on a foreign policy of modesty but from the very beginning of his presidency showed audacious contempt for the world community. He set the worlds climate response back by a decate. By unilaterally breaking the anti- ballistic missile treaty with extreme prejudice to Russia's national pride he helped put the final nail into Russia's floundering democracy.
After 9-11 he essentially declared himself dictator of the world. He claimed the right to kidnap, detain indefinitely, and torture any citizen of any country anywhere in the world without any due process what so ever. He claimed the right to destroy any nation on the basis of potential future threats years if not decades away.
He expressed utter contempt for the rule of law. Instead of allowing Hussein to be tried in an international tribunal he allowed him to be tried in a mockery of legal proceedings. Further he allowed hundreds of others not nearly so famous and some probably not guilty at all to be subjected to sham trails with even less pretense to due process and hanged in mass dozens at a time
He showed utter contempt for democracy actively working against it in Venezuela, Haiti, Pakistan and the Palestinian Authority. He also discouraged democracy in Taiwan and stridently supported the China's growing influence over Taiwan.
He showed an unending contempt for the United Nations. Both by appointing a unrepentant opponent of the United Nations as America's ambassador to the United Nations and by having his Secretary of State lie to the Security Council about the Iraqi threat and by contemptuously ignoring efforts to find a peaceful solution.
Obama's opponent in the presidential race wanted to extend Bush's assault on the United Nations by a sol called League of Democracies whose legitimacy would depend on the favor with the United States and certainly not level of democracy.
Obama had the opportunity to claim the power claimed by his predecessor, power that would have made Cesar weep with envy. But he largely turned this power aside.
And while a vocal minority hate him for it. The vast majority of Americans are happy to be liked again in the world. They are happy to be in a community of nations, not to pretend to a dictatorship over the world.
While Neda's actions where heroic, they can not compare to the global import of Obama's step back from world tyranny and global assault on democracy.
The Post calls itself brave for supporting Neda. But notice they did not mention the Tibetans fighting for their freedom, the Palestinians fighting for their vote, or the Hondurans fighting for their freedom of speech and assembly.
For neocons like the editors of the Washington Post, democracy only has value as weapon to use against our enemies.
- President Obama wins the Nobel Prize for Peace — but that's not his fault. - washingtonpost.com (view on Google Sidewiki)
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