{"id":412,"date":"2013-09-01T11:08:33","date_gmt":"2013-09-01T18:08:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/?p=412"},"modified":"2013-09-01T11:21:09","modified_gmt":"2013-09-01T18:21:09","slug":"obamas-old-hat-the-peace-prize-president","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/obamas-old-hat-the-peace-prize-president\/","title":{"rendered":"Obama’s old hat (the peace prize president)"},"content":{"rendered":"

(Originally written when the Swede’s gave Obama the Peace Prize. The Swedish\u00a0sense\u00a0of humor is odd. For instance, they let the Norwegians give out the Peace Prize. An indication of how seriously they take it.)<\/em><\/p>\n

Obama’s old hat<\/b>
\nby David Raffin<\/em><\/p>\n

President Obama, honored with a Nobel peace prize while fighting two wars, appeared to accept his prize. His speech was in some ways a departure from the past but in others it was old hat.<\/p>\n

The president stood behind the podium and the microphones, his demeanor professional and dignified. He paused for a moment taking in the occasion and the feel of the room. Then he leaned forward into the mic and spoke.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy wife is so fat\u2026\u201d he began.
\nThere were moments of awkward silence. Finally the still air was broken by a Swedish dignitary in the audience who shouted out, hesitantly at first but then becoming more bold as he spoke, \u201cHow fat is she?\u201d
\nObama, replying immediately to cue, replied, \u201cShe\u2019s so fat, when she sits around the house she really sits around the house.\u201d
\nThere was another pause filled with silence.<\/p>\n

Obama continued, \u201cThank you Ladies and Germs.\u201d The crowd sat quietly staring at him.
\n\u201cSeriously though, it\u2019s an honor to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. I flew here from Washington DC, and boy are my arms tired.\u201d
\nThe silence was broken by a rimshot from offstage.
\nThere were scattered coughs and throat clearings.<\/p>\n

One Swedish diplomat turned to another and whispered, \u201cI warned you! The U.S. hasn\u2019t refreshed their joke book in years!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a0http:\/\/davidraffin.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

(Originally written when the Swede’s gave Obama the Peace Prize. The Swedish\u00a0sense\u00a0of humor is odd. For instance, they let the Norwegians give out the Peace Prize. An indication of how seriously they take it.) Obama’s old hat by David Raffin President Obama, honored with a Nobel peace prize while fighting two wars, appeared to accept his prize. His speech was in some ways a departure from the past but in others it was old hat. The president stood behind the podium and the microphones, his demeanor professional and dignified. He paused for a moment taking in the occasion and the...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[13,14,12,2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-412","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-books","category-info","category-my-books","category-writing"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3u13S-6E","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":416,"url":"https:\/\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/non-human-electoral-candidates\/","url_meta":{"origin":412,"position":0},"title":"“Non-human electoral candidates”","author":"David Raffin","date":"September 3, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Our old friend Wikipedia provides a page listing non-human electoral candidates, including Pigasus who was a candidate for president of the United States in 1968. Pigasus and the Yippies were charged with disorderly conduct, disturbing the peace, and bringing a pig to Chicago. At the trial, defense counsel William Kunstler\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Books"","block_context":{"text":"Books","link":"https:\/\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/category\/books\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2756,"url":"https:\/\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/check-please-my-hat-my-darling\/","url_meta":{"origin":412,"position":1},"title":"Check please, my hat, my darling","author":"David Raffin","date":"January 6, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"I need a magicians assistant because the last one disappeared. I am writing a movie about a man and a woman who try to make it in a revitalized vaudeville as a ventriloquist and ventriloquists assistant. Hope I\u2019m not just up my own ass here. Hello 911? The magicians assistant\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Writing"","block_context":{"text":"Writing","link":"https:\/\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/category\/books\/writing\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/img_0186.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/img_0186.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/img_0186.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/img_0186.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/img_0186.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":654,"url":"https:\/\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/your-swedish-ancestry\/","url_meta":{"origin":412,"position":2},"title":"Your Swedish Ancestry","author":"David Raffin","date":"March 19, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"You, like many others, have doubtlessly spent long sleepless nights wondering, \"Am I a Swede?\" Now it is possible for you to realize your full family history- from It's humble beginnings in a young Swede named Leif Haagstrom to your distant cousin of today, the new Deputy Undersecretary to the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Writing"","block_context":{"text":"Writing","link":"https:\/\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/category\/books\/writing\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2188,"url":"https:\/\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/no-love-lost\/","url_meta":{"origin":412,"position":3},"title":"No Love Lost","author":"David Raffin","date":"February 21, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"I watched the neighbors on the opposite ridge bulldoze the property line, each in turn. Each had a bulldozer. They were being sold posts and barbed wire by a dealer in town. Repeatedly. Follow the money. One day the girl on one side married the boy on the other and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "My books"","block_context":{"text":"My books","link":"https:\/\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/category\/books\/my-books\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/IMG_6706.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/IMG_6706.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/IMG_6706.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/IMG_6706.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/IMG_6706.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/IMG_6706.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2240,"url":"https:\/\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/haarlem-knights\/","url_meta":{"origin":412,"position":4},"title":"Haarlem Knights","author":"David Raffin","date":"May 9, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"The newspapers reach toward the ceiling. Forming trees of yesterdays news today. They sway to-and-fro as pine trees in the breeze, a genetic memory. The windows are papered over yellow. The sunlight filtered and made artificial, for it is day outside. Inside time stands still. We are a people of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "My books"","block_context":{"text":"My books","link":"https:\/\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/category\/books\/my-books\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/pexels-photo-210764.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/pexels-photo-210764.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/pexels-photo-210764.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/pexels-photo-210764.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/pexels-photo-210764.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/pexels-photo-210764.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2152,"url":"https:\/\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/behold-the-beholders-eye\/","url_meta":{"origin":412,"position":5},"title":"Behold, The beholder\u2019s eye!","author":"David Raffin","date":"February 3, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"I am a practitioner of ancient magic. Some would say it's old hat. These people have lost their sense of wonder. This is why they disappear. There is nothing in my hands. My hands are clean. Goodnight. \ufffc\u2013 A wicked good magician\ufffc\ufffc","rel":"","context":"In "Writing"","block_context":{"text":"Writing","link":"https:\/\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/category\/books\/writing\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/412","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=412"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/412\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":415,"href":"https:\/\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/412\/revisions\/415"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=412"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=412"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=412"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}