Obama awarded 2009 Nobel Peace Prize

(CNN) -- President Obama was awarded the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize on Friday.

Less than nine months into his presidency, Barack Obama has been awarded the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize.

The first African-American to win the White House, Obama was praised by the Norweigan Nobel Committee for "his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples."

"Only very rarely has a person to the same extent as Obama captured the world's attention and given its people hope for a better future," the committee said. "His diplomacy is founded in the concept that those who are to lead the world must do so on the basis of values and attitudes that are shared by the majority of the world's population."


The committee also said Obama has "created a new climate in international politics."

The announcement came as a surprise -- Obama's name had not been mentioned among front-runners -- and the roomful of reporters in Oslo, Norway, gasped when he was named.

In his short time in office, Obama has acted on a wide range of issues from the economy to terrorism and wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Obama also lobbied unsuccessfully to bring the 2016 Olympics to Chicago, Illinois. After returning from Denmark, Obama expressed no regret about his trip, saying it is "always a worthwhile endeavor to promote and boost the United States."

Former Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari, last year's Peace Prize laureate, said it was clear the Nobel committee wanted to encourage Obama on the issues he has been discussing on the world stage.

"I see this as an important encouragement," Ahtisaari said.

The committee wanted to be "far more daring" than in recent times and make an impact on global politics, said Kristian Berg Harpviken, director of the International Peace Research Institute.

Wangari Muta Maathai, the Kenyan who won the 2004 Peace Prize, said Obama's win will help Africa move forward.

"I think it is extraordinary," she said. "It will be even greater inspiration for the world. He has shown how we can probably come together, work together in a cooperative way."

The award comes at a crucial time for Obama, who currently has administration officials dispatched on global peace missions.

Obama's envoy to the Middle East, George Mitchell, has returned to the region to advocate for peace negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians. Mitchell met Thursday with Israeli President Shimon Peres. He plans to meet Friday with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu before talking with Palestinian leaders in the West Bank.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton starts a six-day trip to Europe and Russia on Friday. On the trip, the secretary will discuss the next steps on Iran and North Korea, and international efforts to have the two countries end their nuclear programs.

The centerpiece of the trip will be her visit to Moscow, where she will work toward an agreement to take the place of the Start II arms control pact, which expires December 5. She will also address the new bilateral presidential commission that is working on a broad range of issues, from arms control to health.

Obama became the third sitting president U.S. president to win the prestigious prize. Jimmy Carter was the fourth American leader to win, but he was long out of office when he was recognized in 2002.

This year's peace prize nominees included 172 people and 33 organizations, the highest number of nominations ever. The committee does not release the names of the nominees.

The Nobel recipient receives a prize of about $1.4 million.

Separating fact from fiction regarding the size of Michelle Obama's staff

In the past it's been almost a tradition for America's first ladies to catch flack from their husbands' political opponents over the size of their staffs, and Michelle Obama certainly hasn't been exempt from that. Criticism of her "massive" staff has popped up on email chains, blogs, and chat rooms. But what are the facts regarding how many people are under her employ, and how does the size of her staff compare to that of past first ladies?

On July 1st of this year, the Obama White House posted the Annual Report to Congress on White House Staff on its official blog. A minor uproar over the first lady's staff size ensued. One critic at CanadianFreePress.com accused the president's wife of employing an "unprecedented number of staffers" for someone who "doesn’t perform any official duties," while a widely circulated chain email reported that "there has never been anyone in the White House at any time that has created such an army of staffers whose sole duties are the facilitation of the First Lady’s social life." Many other critics of the Obama administration expressed similar sentiments.

Soon after the minor brouhaha erupted, Factcheck.org looked into the matter and discovered that there are 16 White House staffers with the term "first lady" in their job title, along with eight additional staffers who also provide support to Michelle Obama, bringing the total number of paid first lady aides to 24, two more staffers than the number noted in the aforementioned chain email circulated by Obama critics. Michelle Obama's press secretary, Katie McCormick Lelyveld, confirmed that 24 was an accurate count of staffers working for the current first lady.

So just what does a staff of 24 do for Michelle Obama? Well, for starters there are the 32,000 pieces of mail that have flooded the East Wing since Michelle Obama took occupancy in January, but the main official duty of the first lady is to tend to the care and maintenance of the White House and its seemingly endless social functions. Of course some first ladies, like Michelle Obama, maintain a higher profile than others, and with that comes the need for people to help write speeches, arrange travel and security details, handle media inquiries, etc. About the myriad tasks and responsibilities handled by White House staffers, Anita McBride, Laura Bush's former chief of staff, recently said, "There's never enough people to do the amount of work that has to get done."

As far as Michelle Obama's staff size being "unprecedented" in modern times, this appears to be factually inaccurate. According to the Washington Post, the Bush White House also had 16 people on staff whose official titles included the term "first lady" working for Laura Bush, and a recent AP story placed her total number of staffers at between 24 and 26. The same AP report also noted that Hillary Clinton had up to 19 staffers, while Lady Bird Johnson and Jacqueline Kennedy had 30 and 40, respectively. To that end, Snopes.com, another Web site dedicated to checking the facts on issues prominent in the public discourse, described the claims of Michelle Obama's “unprecedented” staff as "grossly inaccurate" and "on par with her predecessor's."

-- Brett Michael Dykes is a contributor to the Yahoo! News Blog.

AP Poll: Obama's job approval rises amid concerns

By BETH FOUHY, Associated Press Writer Beth Fouhy, Associated Press Writer – Tue Oct 6, 7:39 pm ET

 

NEW YORK – President Barack Obama's approval ratings are starting to rise after declining ever since his inauguration, new poll figures show as the country's mood begins to brighten. But concerns about the economy, health care and war persist, and support for the war in Afghanistan is falling.

An Associated Press-GfK poll says 56 percent of those surveyed in the past week approve of Obama's job performance, up from 50 percent in September. It's the first time since he took office in January that his rating has gone up.

People also feel better about his handling of the economy and his proposed health care overhaul.
But not about the war.

Support for the war in Afghanistan has declined, the poll said Tuesday. And approval of Obama's handling of it is holding steady — in contrast to his gains in other areas — as he considers a big troop increase there. Poll respondents narrowly oppose the increase.

Overall, 39 percent said they disapproved of Obama's performance in office, down from 49 percent last month.

While a majority of those surveyed remain pessimistic about the direction of the country, that number has begun to improve, too. The poll found 41 percent now believe the U.S. is headed in the right direction, compared with 37 percent in September.

But a large majority of respondents said they remain very concerned about most of the major issues facing the country. The economy was the biggest concern, with 88 percent saying they consider it extremely or very important, followed by unemployment, health care, terrorism, the budget deficit, taxes and the war in Afghanistan.

The increase in Obama's job approval rating was driven by a more positive view of his handling of nearly all of those issues.

Fifty percent of those surveyed said they approved of the president's handling of the economy, up from 44 percent in September. And 48 percent said they approved of his handling of health care, up six points and about equal to the 47 percent who said they disapproved. Obama has made health care the signature domestic issue of his presidency.

Terence Glass, a 45-year-old Milwaukee resident studying to be a teacher, said he was pleased with Obama's handling of health care and the economy, especially his decision to provide federal help to the ailing auto industry.

"We have to look at what was going on before he got in his office. The country was in pretty bad shape," Glass, a Democrat said, adding that since Obama had become president, "I look at it now and I think it's doing a little better."

The only measure that remained unchanged from September was Obama's handling of the war in Afghanistan. Forty-six percent said they approved of his handling of the conflict, while 41 percent disapproved.

Indeed, the poll found a drop in overall support for the 8-year-old war. Forty percent said they favored it, down four points from July, while 57 percent said they were opposed. Some 46 percent favor sending more U.S. troops there, while 50 percent oppose a troop increase, a major decision Obama is weighing.

Obama boosted troop levels in Afghanistan last spring by about 21,000. He and his national security team are now reviewing a warning by Gen. Stanley McChrystal, commander of U.S. forces in that country, that the war will be lost without another big increase.

Glenda Holton, 53, a retired Army sergeant from Dublin, Ga., said she strongly disapproved of Obama's performance in office — and opposed a troop increase.

"I don't feel like they need to have any of them over there," she said about U.S. troops in Afghanistan. "Because it's not doing any good, it's escalating and there hasn't been any improvement."

Holton, who did not vote for Obama in the general election and considers herself an independent, added, "It's not our fight over there."

To be sure, the poll found persistent and deep partisan divisions over Obama. While 88 percent of Democrats said they approved of his performance in office, just 18 percent of Republicans approved. But that GOP figure was up six points since September, when only 12 percent of Republicans said they approved.

Obama's job approval has also gone up among independents. Fifty-three percent said they approved of the president's job performance, a nine point increase since September. Even more strikingly, the percentage of independents who said they disapproved plunged 16 points, from 53 percent last month to 37 percent now.

The poll of 1,003 adults was conducted Oct. 1-5, using both landline and cell phone interviews, with a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.

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AP Polling Director Trevor Tompson and AP writers Natasha Metzler and Christine Simmons in Washington contributed to this report.

Obama postpones meeting with Dalai Lama

WASHINGTON – A decision by Barack Obama to postpone his first meeting as president with the Dalai Lama is overshadowing a visit to Washington this week by the exiled spiritual leader of Tibet's Buddhists.

The Dalai Lama arrived Monday in Washington and will be received by prominent lawmakers and the U.S. coordinator for Tibet. But the focus for many in China, Tibet and the United States is the president's decision not to meet with the Dalai Lama until after Obama visits Chinese President Hu Jintao in Beijing in November.

The Dalai Lama has met with the past three sitting U.S. presidents during his visits to Washington. But this week's trip comes at a delicate time for a new U.S. administration looking to improve relations with Beijing and win Chinese support for crucial foreign policy, economic and environmental goals.

Although China calls him a "wolf in monk's robes" who seeks to split Tibet from the rest of China, the Dalai Lama says he merely wants genuine autonomy for Tibetans.

Those who advocate for Tibet see the Dalai Lama's White House visits as important messages of support for Tibetans and others struggling for human rights. A White House audience for the Nobel Peace laureate this week, however, would have cast a shadow over Obama's talks with Hu next month.

"You only get one chance to start this the right way," Douglas Paal, a former senior Asia adviser for presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush, said of Obama's relationship with Hu.

Obama must balance his efforts to develop ties with China with his desire to support the Dalai Lama. He also needs to overcome harsh criticism by those who feel his administration is not doing enough to push Beijing to better address human rights complaints.

Obama recognizes that how he treats the Dalai Lama will be watched closely — by Beijing, by U.S. lawmakers and voters, and by other world leaders who have been castigated by China for meeting with the Dalai Lama.

Florida Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, the top Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said in a statement that the United States is "kowtowing" to Beijing by not meeting with the Tibetan monk.

The Dalai Lama's envoy, Lodi Gyari, played down the situation, saying there "has been no question of President Obama not, at the appropriate time, meeting His Holiness." He said Monday in a statement that the Dalai Lama, "taking a broader and long-term perspective," agreed to the postponement in the hope that a cooperative U.S.-China relationship will help resolve Tibetans' grievances.

This week, the Dalai Lama plans to meet with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Maria Otero, the U.S. special coordinator for Tibetan issues. He will also receive on Tuesday a human rights award in memory of the late Rep. Tom Lantos.

The Dalai Lama's meetings with past U.S. presidents were conducted behind the scenes in the White House. President George W. Bush, however, attended an elaborate public ceremony in 2007 and presented the Dalai Lama with Congress' highest civilian honor.

China says Tibet has been part of its territory for four centuries. It has aggressively governed the Himalayan region since communist troops took control there in 1951. Many Tibetans claim they were effectively independent for most of their history and say Chinese rule and economic exploitation are eroding their traditional Buddhist culture.

Is SNL right that Obama's accomplished 'nothing'?

This weekend "Saturday Night Live" opened with Fred Armisen as President Obama, delivering an address from the Oval Office. Noting up front that he'd failed to secure the 2016 Olympic Games for Chicago, Armisen's Obama said it was just further proof that his detractors' fears are unfounded: How could he transform the country into something resembling the former Soviet Union or Nazi Germany when he's failed to accomplish anything at all? "When you look at my record," he said, "it's very clear what I've done so far, and that is nothing."

But are SNL's accusations of Obama being a do-nothing president accurate? Let's run down the list of the nine promises SNL lampooned President Obama for doing "nothing" on to see where he actually stands.

1. Close the American military prison at Guantanamo Bay: In one of his first acts as president, Obama signed an order mandating the close of the notorious lockup by January 2010. On Sunday, White House National Security Adviser James Jones said that he was "hopeful" that the White House would meet that deadline. Several legal and logistical questions remained to be answered, however, including the fate of the remaining detainees.

2. Pull all troops out of Iraq: In February, Obama told congressional leaders that he wanted all troops out of Iraq by August 2010. On June 30th of this year, a large number of troops were pulled out of the country, a move that was understated here in the U.S., but was met by dancing in the streets in some parts of Iraq. At the time of the withdrawal, the American military leadership refused to put a number on how many troops remained, though some have estimated that number remains as high as 124,000.

3. Improve the situation in Afghanistan: In a recent interview with CBS' "60 Minutes," General Stanley McChrystal, America's top commander in Afghanistan, said that things had become "a little worse" than he had originally anticipated in Afghanistan, adding that "the breadth of the violence, the geographic spread of violence, is a little more than I would have gathered." Wednesday marks the eighth anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion, and last Sunday saw the deadliest single battle for American soldiers in Afghanistan since 2001. The administration is currently divided over how to change course in Afghanistan, weighing McChrystal's request for as many as 40,000 more troops against other options.

4. Reform the nation's health care system: This year's health care reform debate has been one of the more contentious debates in American history. Originally, the president set an August deadline for Congress to pass legislation for him to sign. That obviously didn't happen. However, on Friday night the Senate Finance Committee finally released its mammoth health care bill -- the last panel to do so, with a committee vote potentially coming as early as the middle of this week -- setting the stage for an even more intense national debate as the full Senate and House finalize legislation.

5. Cut down on global warming: Prior to the onset of the raucous health care reform debate, the centerpiece of the Administration's efforts to stem the increase of global warming, the Cap and Trade bill, was on the legislative fast-track. However, over the weekend Carol Browner, Obama's global warming czar, said that passage of the bill prior to December's Copenhagen Climate Change Conference was unlikely.

6. Reform the nation's immigration policies: In August, President Obama, under intense pressure from supporters for not moving fast enough on the issue, announced that he would have an immigration bill in Congress by the end of the year, though it likely wouldn't be voted on until 2010. Saying that "demagogues" who "suggest that any form of pathway for legalization for those who are already in the United States is unacceptable" would attempt to obstruct his efforts, the president added, "Am I going to be able to snap my fingers and get this done? No."

7. Changing the military's policies on gay soldiers: In his first week in the Oval Office, President Obama announced that his Administration would have to study the "implications for national security" before he could attempt to repeal the present "don't ask, don't tell" policy initiated by the Clinton administration in 1993. On Sunday, White House National Security Adviser James Jones reiterated Obama's commitment to fulfilling this campaign promise, but added that the president has "a lot on his plate" and would get around to addressing the issue at the "right time."

8. Placing limits on executive powers: In the early days of his presidency, Congressional Quarterly praised Obama for appearing as if he was "rejecting some of Bush's most expansive executive power claims" in the White House. However, that sentiment quickly evaporated among Obama supporters and opponents, with Salon's Glenn Greenwald noting in April that the White House had "explicitly claimed to possess the very presidential powers that Bush critics spent years condemning as radical, lawless and authoritarian."

9. Prosecute those who facilitate torture: In April, President Obama announced that his Administration would not bring charges against those who carried out acts deemed as torture upon U.S. terror detainees, but rather might seek to prosecute the Bush Administration officials who drafted the documents justifying the use of torture as lawful. In August, Attorney General Eric Holder followed through by announcing the appointment of a special prosecutor to investigate whether or not the interrogations of suspected terrorists broke any laws.

So, taking all of this into consideration, are SNL's satirical criticisms of President Obama's do-nothingness valid? Probably not, mainly because, as illustrated by the old adage about how one shouldn't watch sausage or legislation get made, the process of "change" and getting anything done in Washington is a long and messy one, and Obama is merely nine months into his term as president. But that doesn't mean that Saturday's SNL skit was humorless, which, for once, it most definitely was not.

-- Brett Michael Dykes is a contributor to the Yahoo! News Blog.

Villar won’t file raps against Arroyo

If and when Sen. Manny Villar becomes president, he will not, he said, file charges against President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. But he would not prevent others from doing so. He would allow the wheels of justice to punish those who need punishing. But he will not interfere to save anybody.

That was what he said, in answer to questions, during the Kapihan sa Manila forum last Monday at the Manila Hotel. I am not an avenger, he said in effect, but I will not coddle the corrupt either.

Asked what would be his priorities in case he becomes president, Villar answered that it would be the economy and jobs. An improved economy and more jobs are important to raise the standard of living in any country, he said. With a higher standard of living, graft and corruption would lessen. People would not steal anymore because they are living well already.

Villar also asked his colleagues in the Senate to end their investigation of the so-called C-5 insertion issue.

Villar has been accused by Senators Panfilo Lacson and Jamby Madrigal of inserting another P250-million appropriation in the budget for the construction of the C-5 extension through his property. It has been a year since the investigation began, Villar said, and until now these allegations remain allegations.

Lacson and Madrigal have presented what they claimed were pieces of evidence, but none of them could pin down Villar. Otherwise, the committee, which is composed mostly of Villar’s rivals in the presidential election next year, would have already issued a guilty verdict.

This inquiry has been overstretched already, he said, as part of a bigger effort to disgrace him and ruin his chances in the presidential race.

The C-5 extension project is a real project that is now benefiting thousands of commuters and cargo vehicles every day, 24 hours a day, he said.

Because of the Senate inquiry, Malacañang, in order to distance itself from the controversy, has impounded the budget intended to complete the project.

But this project was envisioned as part of the seamless road connection scheme linking Metro Manila to nearby provinces under then President Ferdinand Marcos. The project had been constructed on a piecemeal basis since then, Villar said.

“To date, we have yet to get anything out of this investigation,” he said. “It only serves as a vehicle for mud-slinging and unproven accusations. There is a limit to everything. Somehow there must be closure, one way or the other.”

One year is too long for an investigation, Villar emphasized. If the evidence is strong, there should already be a committee resolution finding him guilty. But a year-long search for proof is way too long and already unhealthy.

“This project is a much-needed road network, and it is unfair to have it mired in politics,” Villar said. “It is grossly unfair and insensitive for Jamby and Ping to milk this issue at the expense of the affected residents, commuters and communities.”

Analysis: Chicago's loss is a blow to Obama, too

By JENNIFER LOVEN and JULIE PACE, Associated Press Writers Jennifer Loven And Julie Pace, Associated Press Writers – Fri Oct 2, 7:28 pm ET

 

WASHINGTON – OK, so it wasn't health care, climate change or war. Still, President Barack Obama's high-profile failure to win the Olympics for Chicago could feed negative narratives already nipping at his heels — that he's a better talker than closer, more celebrity than statesman.

And this could hamper his efforts on the weightier issues.

Despite Obama's fabled charm and powers of persuasion, his in-person plea for Chicago to host the 2016 Summer Games fell flat. It was a hugely embarrassing defeat. His adopted hometown — considered a front-runner heading into Friday's voting — didn't just lose, it took last place, shocking nearly all by getting knocked out in the first round while the remaining three contenders moved on.

The defeat could soon be a distant memory, and may never be more than a quixotic-blip trip. But if, for whatever reason, bigger losses start piling up in Obama's corner, his performance in this case could be regarded as emblematic.

Obama tried to put the best face on his trip, saying upon his return to the White House, "One of the things that I think is most valuable about sports is that you can play a great game and still not win." He said he was proud of everyone's effort.

However, almost every aspect of his involvement this week in the Olympics quest recalls a strain of criticism that has been gaining ground on him:

• He's trying to do too much at once.

The line is familiar by now: It's nuts for Obama to tackle the dismal economy, the overhaul of two wars, a remaking of the U.S. health care system and climate change all in one year, and with other difficult issues on the agenda as well.

He has achievements to be proud of in less than nine months in office. But with most of the bigger issues still in the air, voters — even some in Obama's own Democratic Party — are beginning to wonder whether he's someone who tries a lot but succeeds at little, and whether he has the sense to focus on the most important things. A jaunt across the Atlantic, and an extraordinarily expensive one at that, doesn't help.

• He doesn't have what it takes to close a deal.

The why-Chicago-lost story has many contributors, with Obama's last-minute flight to Copenhagen for an emotional appeal probably among the least of them. Regardless, he is now tied inexorably to Chicago's defeat, and that verdict isn't good.

• He is a celebrity, for sure, but is that always a good thing?

Remember how Republican John McCain tried to stoke doubts about Obama during last year's presidential campaign by calling him all flash and no pan? A bit of that is in play here, too, where some perceive Obama as arrogantly relying too much on his celebrity status and not enough on the nitty-gritty work of winning votes.

For instance, some IOC members resented the fact that Obama blew into Copenhagen for just five hours, jetting back down the runway toward Washington hours before the result was even announced.

"It can be that some IOC members see it as a lack of respect," said former IOC member Kai Holm.

• He's too casual with the use of his own time.

This White House has been drawing questions about its tendency to turn to Obama as its only closer, with not much of a bench. Other White Houses have been more judicious about deploying their most precious resource, the president — doing so only when really needed, and usually only when they know they can win. This reduces the chances of overexposure reducing his effectiveness.

It might have been wiser to know more about the vote count before he boarded Air Force One. In hindsight, there was plenty of reason to doubt Chicago's chances.

• He's junior varsity-league, still learning on the job.

The votes of IOC members are notoriously hard to count ahead of time. But so are those in the U.S. Capitol. Will Obama do as poorly predicting how health care votes are leaning in Congress, and make similarly ill-fated strategic decisions as that long and complicated debate unfolds through the fall?

Keep in mind: If Obama had not gone to Denmark and Chicago lost, he no doubt would have been blamed for not making an effort. He tried, as he often does, to thread the needle — make the trip, but make it a quick one to deflect questions about taking time away from the pressing health care and Afghanistan debates.

Aides said the president viewed the trip as worth it, despite the painful outcome. "If you can't do more than one thing at a time," said spokesman Robert Gibbs, "the president wouldn't have gotten through the first day."

But the president risks seeing the pool of his easy doubters grow with each misstep, even these smaller ones.
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