The Apocalypse Is Nigh: Tom Friedman Writes A Column I Agree With...Obama Should Accept Nobel On Behalf Of US Military

It's chilly here in the Northeast but is must be much, much colder in Hell.

Friedman thinks this is what Obama should say when he accepts the Nobel Peace Prize.

“Let me begin by thanking the Nobel committee for awarding me this prize, the highest award to which any statesman can aspire. As I said on the day it was announced, ‘I do not feel that I deserve to be in the company of so many of the transformative figures who’ve been honored by this prize.’ Therefore, upon reflection, I cannot accept this award on my behalf at all.

“But I will accept it on behalf of the most important peacekeepers in the world for the last century — the men and women of the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps.

“I will accept this award on behalf of the American soldiers who landed on Omaha Beach on June 6, 1944, to liberate Europe from the grip of Nazi fascism. I will accept this award on behalf of the American soldiers and sailors who fought on the high seas and forlorn islands in the Pacific to free East Asia from Japanese tyranny in the Second World War.

... “Until the words of Isaiah are made true and lasting — and nations never again lift up swords against nations and never learn war anymore — we will need peacekeepers. Lord knows, ours are not perfect, and I have already moved to remedy inexcusable excesses we’ve perpetrated in the war on terrorism.

“But have no doubt, those are the exception. If you want to see the true essence of America, visit any U.S. military outpost in Iraq or Afghanistan. You will meet young men and women of every race and religion who work together as one, far from their families, motivated chiefly by their mission to keep the peace and expand the borders of freedom.

“So for all these reasons — and so you understand that I will never hesitate to call on American soldiers where necessary to take the field against the enemies of peace, tolerance and liberty — I accept this peace prize on behalf of the men and women of the U.S. military: the world’s most important peacekeepers.”

How many spit takes do you think that caused this morning on the Upper East Side of Manhattan?

Ok, the swipe at the so-called "inexcusable excesses" of Bush is annoying but small in the grand scheme of things (and inevitable in an Obama speech) but the rest? Yeah, I'd stand and cheer Obama if he gave a speech recognizing generations of Americans who have sacrificed to make the world a more peaceful place.

Never going to happen but I wouldn't have thought that Friedman would have written this column, so you never know.

And Tom...on behalf of Republicans, conservatives, the Taliban and the rest of us who don't think Obama did anything to deserve this award, welcome to the club.

One other nit...Friedman thinks we should military power against the enemies of "tolerance"? Aside from the leftwing idiocy of divorcing the use of force from national interest, the logical conclusion of that standard is we must invade China and every Muslim nation on the face of the Earth. I'm pretty sure that's not what Friedman wants to see. It's just lazy writing and yet he has multiple Pulitzers.

posted by DrewM. at 10:48 AM

| Access Comments