海角大神

If you can鈥檛 have the real President Obama, a cardboard Obama should do. Right?

Agree or not, that鈥檚 what the attendees of the 鈥�Save the Children鈥� concert got in Norway.

President Obama irked a lot of Norwegians on Thursday for not doing the traditional Nobel Peace Prize winner stuff. You know like have lunch with king, participate in a news conference with the Norwegian press, and attend the children鈥檚 concert.

The organizers of the event made the best of of it, though, by propping up a cardboard lookalike of the chief executive (we haven't found any photos of the stiffer-than-normal POTUS at the show but we're looking).

I鈥檓 just booked

No, it鈥檚 not that the president thinks Norwegian children aren鈥檛 worth saving (at least he didn鈥檛 mention that in his speech). And it has nothing to do with that UFO scare. It鈥檚 just that he made a conscious decision to spend less time in Norway. It鈥檚 a scheduling thing.

鈥淚 still have a lot of work to do back in Washington, D.C., before the year is done,鈥� he said during an appearance with the prime minister this afternoon.

Think of it like a dining experience. You have two options 鈥� eat in a restaurant or hit the drive-thru. Obama ordered up his Nobel prize like a combo meal to go.

Unhappy campers

The in-and-out isn鈥檛 sitting well with some of the natives. One poll, published in Norway鈥檚 largest newspaper VG, showed that 53 percent of Norwegians believed Obama鈥檚 decision to bail on the kids鈥� concert was 鈥渋mpolite.鈥� As for skipping out on the news conference, 48 percent gave him a thumbs down. When it came to stiffing the king, however, only 44 percent cared.

Another Norwegian newspaper, the Aftenposten, reported similar findings under the headline 鈥淣orwegians鈥� verdict: Obama is impolite.鈥� Aftenposten鈥檚 news editor, Jan-Erik Laure, told the that the local sentiment is sour because it cost a lot to host the president.

鈥淚 think the impression is that, firstly, we鈥檝e spent a lot of money preparing for this visit and then he should be more visible and be doing things in our country,鈥� he said.

鈥淚 think Norwegians also feel let down,鈥� he added. 鈥淭here is the impression that the cancellation is somewhat because of policy in the US 鈥� he doesn鈥檛 want to be that much exposed to those who think he shouldn鈥檛 have won it, and accuse him of not concentrating enough on internal politics."

And then there鈥檚 the Afghanistan war. Surmises the Associated Press: 鈥淭he president鈥檚 quick visit also reflected a White House that saw little value in trumpeting an honor for peace just days after Obama announced he was sending more troops off to war.鈥�

See also:

Pundits on the left and right applaud Obama's speech

What's Arabs thought of Obama's Nobel Peace Prize

Space aliens welcome Obama in Norway?

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