Obama: Acceptance Speech of Nobel Peace Prize
To begin with, I believe that all nations -- strong and weak alike -- must adhere to standards that govern the use of force. I -- like any head of state -- reserve the right to act unilaterally if necessary to defend my nation. Nevertheless, I am convinced that adhering to standards, international standards, strengthens those who do, and isolates and weakens those who don't...
Furthermore, America -- in fact, no nation -- can insist that others follow the rules of the road if we refuse to follow them ourselves. For when we don't, our actions appear arbitrary and undercut the legitimacy of future interventions, no matter how justified...
Where force is necessary, we have a moral and strategic interest in binding ourselves to certain rules of conduct. And even as we confront a vicious adversary that abides by no rules, I believe the United States of America must remain a standard bearer in the conduct of war. That is what makes us different from those whom we fight. That is a source of our strength. That is why I prohibited torture. That is why I ordered the prison at Guantanamo Bay closed. And that is why I have reaffirmed America's commitment to abide by the Geneva Conventions. We lose ourselves when we compromise the very ideals that we fight to defend. And we honor -- we honor those ideals by upholding them not when it's easy, but when it is hard...
First, in dealing with those nations that break rules and laws, I believe that we must develop alternatives to violence that are tough enough to actually change behavior -- for if we want a lasting peace, then the words of the international community must mean something. Those regimes that break the rules must be held accountable...
And most dangerously, we see it in the way that religion is used to justify the murder of innocents by those who have distorted and defiled the great religion of Islam, and who attacked my country from Afghanistan. These extremists are not the first to kill in the name of God; the cruelties of the Crusades are amply recorded. But they remind us that no Holy War can ever be a just war.
Mr President,
Did you by chance read what you just said? When sir, will you begin to make those that broke the rules during the Bush/Cheney years, be held accountable?
Sir, if you believe, "that adhering to standards, international standards, strengthens those who do, and isolates and weakens those who don't...", then why sir, have you allowed our previous administration to get away with war crimes like torturing and spying on American citizens?
If you truly believe that, "no nation -- can insist that others follow the rules of the road if we refuse to follow them ourselves.", then sir, you would have had your US Attorney General immediately hire a special prosecutor to investigate any and all war crimes committed during 2001-2008.
Why sir, if you believe, "And even as we confront a vicious adversary that abides by no rules, I believe the United States of America must remain a standard bearer in the conduct of war. That is what makes us different from those whom we fight. That is a source of our strength. That is why I prohibited torture. That is why I ordered the prison at Guantanamo Bay closed. And that is why I have reaffirmed America's commitment to abide by the Geneva Conventions. ", have you simply ignored the recent past crimes of our nation.
Simply 'moving on' will not show our allies and future American leaders that we've 'changed' sir. It simply says, "Don't look at that man behind the curtains." In other words, "Do as we say, not as we do."