Nine days after announcing a major escalation in the war in Afghanistan, President Obama arrived at Norway’s City Hall on Thursday to formally accept the Nobel Peace Prize, evoking the notion of a “just war” and robustly defending the use of military force “on humanitarian grounds” and to preserve peace.
At least he sees it.
“Still, we are at war,” he said, “ and I am responsible for the deployment of thousands of young Americans to battle in a distant land. Some will kill. Some will be killed. And so I come here with an acute sense of the cost of armed conflict — filled with difficult questions about the relationship between war and peace, and our effort to replace one with the other.”
So did a few others.
Across the street from the institute, a crowd chanted and held up a yellow banner, saying: “Obama You Won It, Now Earn It.”
Many Norwegians were annoyed that Obama's trip was so short, and that he skipped a few traditional formalities surrounding the event.
The president is scheduled to return to Washington on Friday.
Oh, but not for long. He'll be hopping back on Air Force One next week en route to Copenhagen.
The United States will have representation in Copenhagen throughout the negotiating process by State Department negotiators and Cabinet officials who will highlight the great strides we have made this year towards a clean energy economy.
Great green strides indeed! Like going 10 miles in a Hummer to pick up a can of tomato paste at the supermarket and returning home, and then an hour later going back out two miles beyond the supermarket to a post office to fetch a single stamp.
Nice carbon footprint!
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