The Peace Prize

Obama's peace prize speech is another example of his powerful ability to share ideas and shape others perception of him. He is good at that. There has been a great deal of controversy over whether he deserved the prize. It seems obvious to me that he has not earned it and the prize was given to him because he is not Bush. But I think Obama agrees and acknowledged he has not earned it. He used his speech to promise he will do his best and do the work to earn it. God be with him. I hope he does.

Fire Alarm

It figures. The night I have huge project to finish, the fire alarm goes off in the library, keeping me out for 40 minutes. I was going to be to bed by midnight....

Obama's Address

 

Obama’s got me convinced. I did not vote for the man. Some of his policies I disagree with. But after reading this speech, I am a little more convinced that he is a man who thinks through the problems before him and deals with them rationally. That is the ideal I strive to live by and I admire any man or woman who does the same.

When I first heard that Obama was going to announce a time frame to withdraw from Afghanistan, I was very skeptical. I agreed with the many who ask, “What is to dissuade the Taliban from simply biding its time until we withdraw?” While Obama stated nothing that directly answered this problem, he point out very important factors to consider.

First, we do not have the resources to fight an endless war and spend time building up Afghanistan. We are stretched as it is. We do not have the political will or desire as a nation to do so. We have a recession to recover from.

Second, Afghanistan needs to stand on its own. We are not a conquering power. We are a nation that has turned away from empire-building. It is not a part of our constitution. A fundamental ideal that we declare is freedom, liberty, and self-determination for all people. Afghanistan needs to stand on its own. We cannot act as a crutch.

It is important, morally and practically, to pull out of Afghanistan. Not right away, but after we have done the best we can with the resources we have. I do not have the information to make that decision. Obama and his advisors do. His arguments seem sound to me. Therefore, I support President Obama in this decision and pray that God truly is with us.

Obama's Address on the New Strategy in Afghanistan and Pakistan - Interactive Feature - NYTimes.com