Soccer Dad

Declining - the prize

Imagine there's no countries It isn't hard to do Nothing to kill or die for And no religion too Imagine all the people Living life in peace

Imagine - by John Lennon born 10/09/1940

In an era when our destiny is shared, power is no longer a zero-sum game. No one nation can or should try to dominate another nation. No world order that elevates one nation or group of people over another will succeed. No balance of power among nations will hold. The traditional divisions between nations of the South and the North make no sense in an interconnected world; nor do alignments of nations rooted in the cleavages of a long-gone Cold War.

Speech to the General Assembly of the UN September 23, 2009 - by Barack Obama awarded the Nobel Peace Prize 10/09/2009

The Utopian vision espoused by John Lennon in "Imagine" is one that is embraced by President Obama. But an artist's ideal is not necessarily an appropriate blueprint for a politician, certainly not for the leader of the free world. I suppose, though, that President Obama would reject that title as appellation of the 20th century that reflects yesterday's thinking.

But the President's assumption of the good will of the rest of the world is not borne out by experience. Charles Krauthammer identifies what's behind President Obama's imaginary world.

This deliberate choice of strategic retreats to engender good feeling is based on the naïve hope of exchanges of reciprocal goodwill with rogue states. It comes as no surprise, therefore, that the theory--as policy--has demonstrably produced no strategic advances. But that will not deter the New Liberalism because the ultimate purpose of its foreign policy is to make America less hegemonic, less arrogant, less dominant.

In a word, it is a foreign policy designed to produce American decline--to make America essentially one nation among many. And for that purpose, its domestic policies are perfectly complementary.

Krauthammer's essay is called "Decline is a choice" (via memeorandum). President Obama is being awarded the Nobel for his belief in (the necessity of) America's decline.

Tim Blair gives the President the What for. Snapped Shot observes who objects to the award. Legal Insurrection doesn't get the joke. Un-Riehl.

Please also check out Daled Amos, the Razor, JoshuaPundit, http://theglitteringeye.com/?p=9019 (no he won't give it back, he values it too much), Colossus of Rhodey and Rhymes with Right and Meryl. And Bookworm's Roundup.

Rick Moran (via WizBang):

Sometimes, an event occurs that is so sublimely ridiculous that it becomes a parody of itself. That's what we have here.

(via memeorandum)

Barry Rubin observes:

It's more like electing someone the world's most popular parent because he let the kids stay up all night, not do their homework, throw parties, and consume large amounts of alcohol and drugs.