constitution says

But Does the Constitution Even Allow Obama to Accept the Nobel?

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Who cares if you think President Obama deserves the Nobel Peace Prize! Our forefathers may have expressly written, some three hundred-ish years ago, that he cannot receive it! As the Washington Post notes, “Article I, Section 9, of the Constitution, the emolument clause, clearly stipulates: ‘And no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince or foreign State.'” And: “The five-member Nobel commission is elected by the Storting, the parliament of Norway. Thus the award of the peace prize is made by a body representing the legislature of a sovereign foreign state.”

The newspaper has more background — like how both Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson accepted a Nobel while holding the presidency — and how even giving the $1.4 million prize money to charity doesn’t save him, because that’s a $500k tax deduction he benefits from.

But what’s silly here is this: The Constitution then bars any president from accepting even an honorary title from a foreign nation. Like, George W. Bush could never have received a “Best Butt Buddy” award from Britain’s Tony Blair, or a “Total Douchebag” award from Iraq.

The Post insists “Congress should allow him to accept the award. The prize money, which legally belongs to the United States, ought to be applied by Congress to some worthy cause, such as reducing the deficit.” But we barely trust Congress with our own money, let alone a foreign government’s check to the commander-in-chief.

But hey, we’re sure there’s a Orly Taitz out there ready to pop up on Fox News arguing the case.

(Illustration via Outlook India)

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