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Obama to give Nobel Peace Prize award to 10 charities
Posted: March 11th, 2010 03:53 PM ET
Washington (CNN) - President Barack Obama will donate his $1.4 million Nobel Peace Prize award to 10 charities, the White House said Thursday.

These organizations receiving the money "do extraordinary work in the United States and abroad helping students, veterans and countless others in need," Obama said in a statement. "I'm proud to support their work."

The list of charities includes:

– $250,000 to Fisher House, a group that helps provide housing for families of patients receiving medical care at military and Veterans Affairs medical centers;

– $200,000 for the Clinton-Bush Haiti fund, which supports relief efforts in the earthquake-ravaged nation;


– $125,000 for the College Summit, which helps prepare students for college; and

– $125,000 for the United Negro College Fund, which helps more than 60,000 students attend college annually.

Obama was awarded the 2009 Nobel Prize for "extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples," according to the Norwegian Nobel Committee.

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2010/03/11/obama-to-give-1-4-million-nobel-peace-prize-award-to-10-charities/?fbid=d2fJ5F4wNfK

Not bad. Sure, he'll gain favorable publicity (not by the spinners though but what else is new) and probably some tax benefits (then again being the president probably makes IRS troubles just about moot) but its an overall respectable move. Especially considering he basically got the award for not being Bush Jr.

Good on him. I wonder if he would have even been allowed to keep the money. I thought that Federal Laws prevent government official from accepting cash gifts. Regardless, good job Mr. President.

Laws or no, the political backlash from keeping the money wouldn't be worth the windfall.

Agreed.

still don't know why he won it...


and before the gak rains down....I supported Ron Paul, and McCain and Palin are just as scary as Obama....

IG_urban wrote:still don't know why he won it...

Politics.

IG_urban wrote:still don't know why he won it...

The ability to do a Vulcan "Live Long and Prosper" sign.

Ahtman wrote:

IG_urban wrote:still don't know why he won it...

Politics.

I just don't get why, after literally doing NOTHING, he was inducted into the ranks of people like The 14th Dalai Lama (Tenzin Gyatso)....

And Yasser Arafat?

What's the Dalai Lama ever done?

And the IPCC... the biggest bunch of dimwits and fraudsters in history.


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Also good on him giving the money away, but perhaps focusing it a little more on 2-3 worthy causes would have been better than spreading it more thinly.

IG_urban wrote:I just don't get why, after literally doing NOTHING, he was inducted into the ranks of people like The 14th Dalai Lama (Tenzin Gyatso)....

The committee, fairly wisely in my opinion, doesn't just look to acknowledge people long after their struggle is complete. They could play it safe and only award the prize to people after their cause is achieved, but what good would they be? Instead they try to recognise people who's work needs greater public awareness, and use the award to further their cause. A classic example is the 1996 award given to Jose Ramos-Horta and Carlos Belo, who were recognised for their efforts fighting for the freedom of East Timor. Their award gave the cause the international awareness and legitimacy it badly needed, and was an important part of the eventual liberation of East Timor.

This means at times you run the risk of rewarding people who are pursuing peaceful means, but who end up sliding back into violence and corruption, such as Yasar Arafat. Though it should be remembered Shimon Peres was a joint winner of the award with Arafat, and he's got no shortage of blood on his hands either.


Meanwhile, giving the award to charity was about the only thing Obama could do with the money. Did anyone expect him to pimp up Airforce One?

I supported Ron Paul

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It's a classy move, and it certainly would have been politically foolish to act otherwise.

Nurglitch wrote:What's the Dalai Lama ever done?

Waaagh_Gonads wrote:And the IPCC... the biggest bunch of dimwits and fraudsters in history.


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Also good on him giving the money away, but perhaps focusing it a little more on 2-3 worthy causes would have been better than spreading it more thinly.

Thats kind of representative of the problem isn't it? Failure to focus.

Frazzled wrote:

Waaagh_Gonads wrote:And the IPCC... the biggest bunch of dimwits and fraudsters in history.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Also good on him giving the money away, but perhaps focusing it a little more on 2-3 worthy causes would have been better than spreading it more thinly.

Thats kind of representative of the problem isn't it? Failure to focus.

Or a realisation that his critics would crow about all the causes he missed if he just concentrated the money on 2-3 causes. Then they would criticise the choice of causes.

A wide range of beneficiaries seems for the best. Well done Obama.

IG_urban wrote:

Nurglitch wrote:What's the Dalai Lama ever done?

He has a point the dalai lama along with a lot of the prize winers never succeed in thier goals. they tried very hard to fight for peace yet the powers that be prevented it in many situations.