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|NEXT STORY »

OBAMA'S FREE RIDE

Latest Undeserved Honor: Black Belt

Obama is now a master of tae kwon do, with 0 years practice

By Harry Kimball| Posted Nov 19, 09 2:07 PM CST|

(Newser) – This has gone too far. First President Obama gets the Nobel Peace Prize “without actually producing any peace,” writes Andrew Malcolm. Now the South Korean president has awarded him a black belt in tae kwon do “after zero long years of study. What would Chuck Norris do?” Malcolm wonders in a Los Angeles Times blog post. “Probably bow. But never as low as Obama bowed for Japan's emperor last weekend.”

President Barack Obama and South Korean President Lee Myung-bak. (AP Photo)

South Korean President Lee Myung-bak chats with President Obama. (AP Photo)

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56 comments

VIEWING:

Timinator2K
Nov 19, 09 2:12 PM CST

This comment has been removed by Newser’s community. Reply

-16

IN RESPONSE:

cochiserocks
Nov 19, 09 2:27 PM CST

@timinator - not your finest hour that statement mate. Referring specifically to your need, conscious or sub conscious, to point out that he is of mixed race. Like that was ever a reason to dislike or like someone. Your point would have stood up without that aside and it tells me more about your internal workings than it does comment on your point about sucking up to power.

IN RESPONSE:

alkaseltzersammich
Nov 19, 09 2:30 PM CST

Keep strokin those Republican nuts Tim.

IN RESPONSE:

tomodachi
Nov 19, 09 3:03 PM CST

@timin: Next thing you'll be telling us, Obama was given a US birth certificate... but wasn't born (in the US)?

IN RESPONSE:

BBT
Nov 19, 09 3:30 PM CST

Racist asshole.

IN RESPONSE:

Rembrandt_Q_Einstein
Nov 19, 09 4:38 PM CST

I bet you wouldn't say that about Elvis.

IN RESPONSE:

OG_Travis
Nov 19, 09 7:38 PM CST

Did you know of the three studies done, two by conservative groups, all three found that on average liberals are more intelligent than conservatives. The one that was released by a non-partisan group said that this was true more than 75% of the time....Wow.....Who knew?

IN RESPONSE:

kirby
Nov 20, 09 6:15 AM CST

A random non-partisan group said that this was true so then it MUST be! Give me a break. That's part of the problem, people listening to every random bit of news they hear.

| 0 minutes ago

keybored
Nov 19, 09 2:13 PM CST

"First President Obama gets the Nobel Peace Prize “without actually producing any peace," -- so you mean all those others guys and gals who won the NPP achieved peace around the world? Please. I'm so sick of Newser grabbing editorial headlines and making them sound like real news articles. Who do they think they are? FOX Entertainment??? Reply

IN RESPONSE:

unfathomedchaos
Nov 19, 09 9:44 PM CST

If George W. Bush had spent hundreds of thousands of dollars and used AF One to take Laura Bush to a play in NYC, would you have approved? If George W. Bush had reduced your retirement plan's holdings of GM stock by 90%and given the unions a majority stake in GM, would you have approved? If George W. Bush had made a joke at the expense of the Special Olympics, would you have approved? If George W. Bush had given Gordon Brown a set of inexpensive and incorrectly formatted DVD 's, when Gordon Brown had given him a thoughtful and historically significant gift, would you have approved? If George W. Bush had given the Queen of England an iPod containing videos of his speeches, would you have thought this embarrassingly narcissistic and tacky? If George W. Bush had bowed to the King of Saudi Arabia , would you have approved? If George W. Bush had visited Austria and made reference to the non-existent"Austrian language," would you have brushed it off as a minor slip? If George W. Bush had filled his cabinet and circle of advisers with people who cannot seem to keep current on their income taxes, would you have approved? If George W. Bush had been so Spanish illiterate as to refer to "Cin co de Cuatro" in front of the Mexican ambassador when it was the fourth of May (Cuatro de Mayo), and continued to flub it when he tried again, would you have winced in embarrassment? If George W. Bush had mis-spelled the word advice would you have hammered him for it for years like Dan Quayle and potatoe as proof of what a dunce he is? If George W. Bush had burned 9,000 gallons of jet fuel to go plant a single tree on Earth Day, would you have concluded he's a hypocrite? If George W. Bush had authorized a "green" car that has absolutely no protective parts to it and holds only two people, and would be totally destroyed if in a wreck... would you have thought him a total idiot after all these years of trying to make cars protective? If George W. Bush's administration had okayed Air Force One flying low over millions of people followed by a jet fighter in downtown Manhattan causing widespread panic, would you have wondered whether they actually get what happened on 9-11 and called him a total idiot! If George W. Bush had been the first President to need a teleprompter installed to be able to get through a press conference, would you have laughed and said this is more proof of how inept he is on his own and is really controlled by smarter men behind the scenes? If George W. Bush had failed to send relief aid to flood victims throughout the Midwest with more people killed or made homeless than in New Orleans, would you want it made into a major ongoing political issue with claims of racism and incompetence? If George W. Bush had ordered the firing of the CEO of a major corporation, even though he had no constitutional authority to do so, would you have approved? If George W. Bush had proposed to double the national...

-2

IN RESPONSE:

kirby
Nov 20, 09 6:17 AM CST

keyboard, if your tired of it, go somewhere else. Trust me, most won't mind.

IN RESPONSE:

cyclone0000
Nov 20, 09 2:30 PM CST

Why so touchy? Also, can you name even one "guy or gal" NPP winner.....now don't go lookin' it up!

| 0 minutes ago

ronimaca
Nov 19, 09 2:13 PM CST

when the hell is this GD harping on everything Obama going to stop. Sour sour bitter losers at some point you have to get over losing, you people have no class. Please righties we can't take this for the next 7 1/2 years. Reply

IN RESPONSE:

Randerson1725
Nov 19, 09 2:52 PM CST

Because lefties weren't insulting the previous administration at every opportunity...hypocrite

IN RESPONSE:

tomodachi
Nov 19, 09 3:05 PM CST

@randerson: Are you pre-judging somebody a hypocrite... without proof?

IN RESPONSE:

Forderon
Nov 19, 09 3:31 PM CST

Randerson, maybe because that had to do with ACTUAL fuckups?

IN RESPONSE:

ronimaca
Nov 19, 09 6:05 PM CST

nothing like what is spewing from the right. Tit for tat you big babies

IN RESPONSE:

Randerson1725
Nov 19, 09 6:23 PM CST

@tomodachi well liberals are complaining when conservatives did nothing but accept criticism (for the most part) for 8 years...so telling conservatives to shut up is pretty hypocritical

-1

IN RESPONSE:

tomodachi
Nov 20, 09 7:04 AM CST

@randerson: GWB got the US mired into two major wars, failing miserably on the ORIGINAL objectives on both counts. He should have ended those wars quickly before so many US heroes had died. Ironic that one of his wars he proclaimed "Mission Accomplished" weeks after he invaded... yet there's US troops in Iraq 6 years later. GWB also cut taxes favoring the wealthiest... while increasing spending to historic proportions... creating $5 Trillion dollars of NEW debt for the US taxpayer to pay for... with interest; he DOUBLED the US national debt. Blame for the wars and the debt rest squarely on GWB's shoulders. Ultimately HE had the power to stop it... He was the one who initiated or condoned it. It is his fault..... -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Randerson... Do you disagree with ANY of those statements? In you mind, do you see any exaggeration at all? If you say yes... then you really need to rethink the source of your political memes. "Lefties weren't insulting the previous administration" No Randerson: They were making justifiable remarks about a president who was really that bad.

IN RESPONSE:

northeast
Nov 20, 09 7:59 AM CST

Umm. He's CLEARLY being sarcastic in this piece.

IN RESPONSE:

cyclone0000
Nov 20, 09 2:35 PM CST

Liberals like Obama because he has socialist leanings, now c'mon, HE DOES! Liberals think more as a collective (read socialist). Conservatives think more about the individual and the ability and desire for individual freedom and responsiblity.

| 0 minutes ago

myvoice
Nov 19, 09 2:14 PM CST

So Honorary means what? Oh BTW Bush got an Honorary degree form Yale as he didn't do anything to do deserve it while he was an actual student! :) This guy an other people are just haters! oh and this guy needs to also look-up diplomacy! What wanker! Reply

+10

IN RESPONSE:

USAHomeofthebrave
Nov 20, 09 8:06 AM CST

Actually, GWB's college gpa was higher than John Kerry's.

IN RESPONSE:

tomodachi
Nov 20, 09 9:22 AM CST

Bush GPA = 77 Kerry = 76. From where I'm sitting... they were both C students.

| 0 minutes ago

passinthru
Nov 19, 09 2:16 PM CST

this article smells of jealousy...none of what he has been "awarded" makes any impact on the american people...the right just likes to bitch about it. get a fucking life already. Reply

| 0 minutes ago

bahari@bellsouth.net
Nov 19, 09 2:23 PM CST

I see it like this, when President Obama is awarded something, I AM AWARDED something because he REPRESENTS the United States of America of which I reside. Now, be proud. Reply

IN RESPONSE:

RobN
Nov 19, 09 2:57 PM CST

Geezus, I've got a labrador retriever who doesn't slobber as much as you.

IN RESPONSE:

cyclone0000
Nov 20, 09 2:39 PM CST

Finally! Something positive and sensible. But you know what, you don't just "reside" in this great country. You LIVE here proudly. Those that simply reside here are the undocumented and those too numerous Americans who openly hate America, but won't leave it either, unfortunately.

| 0 minutes ago

OWLWOMANXXXX
Nov 19, 09 2:26 PM CST

roflmao.......I wonder what Obama was thinking when he was presented the belt Reply

IN RESPONSE:

myvoice
Nov 19, 09 2:29 PM CST

probably this... FUCK now im going get shit for this and all im trying to is save our economy and bring respect back to our country!

IN RESPONSE:

QueenAlli
Nov 19, 09 3:26 PM CST

Which member will be the first to eat it?

| 0 minutes ago

JoeQ
Nov 19, 09 2:30 PM CST

I bet Obama got a kick out of that. On second thought, I hope he didn't. Reply

| 0 minutes ago

Yourself
Nov 19, 09 2:31 PM CST

all the presidents get "honorary" BS gifts and "honors" doesn't mean jack-sh*t. we all know that. Stop complaining about it and focus on the real issues... Reply

| 0 minutes ago

DarkFrancis
Nov 19, 09 2:52 PM CST

Now this is becoming bullshit. Heads of state get all sorts of meaningless and symbolic 'honours'. Getting an honorary doctorate, a black belt or a lollipop is not the same as winning the Nobel fucking Peace Prize. Reply

IN RESPONSE:

cornelison
Nov 19, 09 10:24 PM CST

The President didn't seek the Nobel Peace Prize. It would have been worse if he refused.

| 0 minutes ago

sache
Nov 19, 09 2:56 PM CST

Michael Malcolm and the rest of the right wing nut cases need to get a life and stop complaining of every honor received by President Obama. Get use to the fact that world wide he is a well liked president. Something that could not be said of our last president. Reply

| 0 minutes ago

Fatquah
Nov 19, 09 3:08 PM CST

BLACK belt? RACIST! Reply

| 0 minutes ago

QueenAlli
Nov 19, 09 3:27 PM CST

Man is this guy jealous or what? Why is the right wing so jealous? hannity, glenn, palin, all of them. Jealous. Reply

| 0 minutes ago

npkimmey
Nov 19, 09 3:39 PM CST

I feel bad for Obama. He's getting all of this hate but he didn't choose to get these awards. And declining them would bring bigger controversies. Reply

IN RESPONSE:

cornelison
Nov 19, 09 10:28 PM CST

It's ironic that other countries praise The President while his opponents at home show nothing but hate and contempt for him. President Obama is trying to help the country and that country includes those who hate him - including the GOP.

| 0 minutes ago

Woftt
Nov 19, 09 3:56 PM CST

wow Reply

| 0 minutes ago

sanagalrc
Nov 19, 09 10:00 PM CST

Imagine if Obama refused all these honorary things. Everyone would be saying "Oh he thinks he's too good for the Nobel Prize????" Reply

IN RESPONSE:

yummines
Nov 19, 09 11:00 PM CST

yea. i dont understand why people would just never stop at criticizing him, ignoring the things that he actually does well. Oh wait, they are called sore losers, and apparently the GOP is full of them...

IN RESPONSE:

npkimmey
Nov 20, 09 6:44 AM CST

Yeah, then everyone would assume he was against peace, and get even madder. When he is offered something like that it's a lose-lose situation.

IN RESPONSE:

carpenocturne
Nov 20, 09 9:55 PM CST

I'm pretty sure if he refused it, his fan base would be awed by his humility. The fact you look for a negative reaction only reinforces the tensions that keep us from seeing any sort of humanity between one another. There is no line unless you draw one!

| 0 minutes ago

riffran
Nov 20, 09 12:13 AM CST

plain and simple...IF you did not actually learn the martial art, and display the prequisite skill to earn the belt title....the belt means nothing...no matter who gives it or gets it... Reply

| 0 minutes ago

RockyPneumonia
Nov 20, 09 5:04 AM CST

It's pretty sad that the only way some people can reassure themselves that they realy exist is to make offensive statements so as to provoke a reaction. OK, Tim; we're all looking at you. Yes, you really exist. Reply

| 0 minutes ago

insulant_dolphin
Nov 20, 09 6:18 AM CST

Personally I am glad he got the Black Belt, now he has to register his hands as weapons... But seriously as someone who has taken martial arts just giving away a black belt is a little much, maybe he could have given him a blue or green belt... Reply

| 0 minutes ago

lapdesktop
Nov 20, 09 6:52 AM CST

Anyone who can't comprehend the granting of the Nobel Peace Prize award to Obama isn't really paying attention (listen with an open heart to the speech in Egypt, the interview with the Arab television station, or even the inauguration speech) or is perhaps too addicted to drama, misery and conflict to be able to understand. Obama's receiving the Nobel Peace Prize is soooo appropriate and something for every U.S. citizen to be proud of. The black belt, though... hmmm... my first inclination is to say okay, that sounds inappropriate; however, before making up my mind on that one I would have to acknowledge that I am not Japanese. I have not studied Tae Kwon Do. I would want to educate myself about Japanese culture and Tae Kwon Do in particular. My sense is that there is far more to the martial arts than the physical butt-kicking moves we are familiar with in the U.S., and that there is something deeper that a serious student of Tae Kwon Do with an authentic teacher connects with over time. My guess is that it is the something deeper that is being honored by the Japanese Emperor. The litmus test would be... what do the Japanese people think of the honor? Mr. Malcolm's reference to Chuck Norris lets me know that he doesn't know any more about Tae Kown Do than I do. I actually love Chuck Norris' work, but I think most would agree that it is entertainment and the first thing we think of when we think of Chuck Norris is kicking butts. I suspect Chuck Norris understands the depth of the martial arts, but that doesn't mean that the people who are entertained by his work recognize that it's there. Perhaps Mr. Malcolm would be interested in connecting with a more authentic source of Japanese culture? Reply

IN RESPONSE:

kokuaguy
Nov 20, 09 10:25 AM CST

Study Korean culture (and politics.) This happened in South Korea, where he received one of the warmest welcomes of his entire trip. One of the first things GWB did as president was to humiliate the South Korean government at the time by refusing to support its efforts in settling their difference with North Korea. Obama on the other hand authorized the Clinton trip there to retrieve the two women journalist hostages.

IN RESPONSE:

lapdesktop
Nov 20, 09 5:24 PM CST

LOL. Thanks, kokuaguy. Of course I should study _South Korean_ culture and politics. A friend just returned from a long trip to Japan and we spent several hours looking at amazing photos... I must have had Japan on the brain. In any event, the heart of the question is what I was concentrating on when I posted, and what I still consider important when pondering this topic. Does the gift symbolize something deeper that those who are not familiar with the art of Tae Kwon Do and the culture of South Korea would not recognize? Something interesting and pertinent to explore, I believe. Thanks again. :-D

IN RESPONSE:

carpenocturne
Nov 20, 09 9:51 PM CST

No lapdesktop, it doesn't unfortunately. A first degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do took me over 4 years to get, and it is by no means easy. The belt system in all Eastern martial arts is a sign of your long-term commitment to the art, and in return a symbol of your honor. As an Asian Studies graduate, I am appalled to see such a gesture merely because it is completely counter to traditional Korean values. They must be seriously needing the president's help. I will find out more soon, as I am moving to the 5th biggest city in Korea called Daejeon come Monday.

| 0 minutes ago

timtantric
Nov 20, 09 9:32 AM CST

when a country turns to chuck norris for diplomatic advice, you know they are retarded Reply

| 0 minutes ago

Viet-Vet
Nov 20, 09 11:39 AM CST

That move just "cheapened" the art. Reply

| 0 minutes ago

carpenocturne
Nov 20, 09 9:43 PM CST

If someone in the US gave him a black belt, they'd be the one being called a racist. On another note, I am ashamed of people's unabashed, unquestioning admiration for a man who is only human, nothing more, nothing less. Reply

| 0 minutes ago

leafallsonelines
Dec 10, 09 7:55 AM CST

Don't blame Obama for what other people do for him. It's not unusual for presidents to receive honorary awards. This is such a childish editorial. Reply

| 0 minutes ago

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