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In early October we learned that US President Barack Obama was awarded the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize and today in Oslo, Norway President Obama was on hand to formally accept his award. In a speech that lasted twice as long as his inauguration speech, Obama spoke of the irony of accepting a peace prize during a time of war but expressed his belief that the collective forces of good will overcome and emerge victorious over the forces of evil in the world. Here are a few photos of President Obama at his Nobel Prize ceremony today:

President Obama, accepting the Nobel Peace Prize [in Oslo] on Thursday, acknowledged the age-old tensions between war and peace but argued that his recent decision to escalate the conflict in Afghanistan was justified to protect the world from terrorism and extremism. “We must begin by acknowledging the hard truth,” Mr. Obama said. “We will not eradicate violent conflict in our lifetimes. There will be times when nations — acting individually or in concert — will find the use of force not only necessary but morally justified.” In a ceremony at Oslo City Hall, Mr. Obama was formally welcomed into the ranks of Nobel laureates who have won the prize, which was established 108 years ago. He said he accepted the award with “deep gratitude and great humility,” conceding it could be seen as premature. “I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge the considerable controversy that your generous decision has generated. In part, this is because I am at the beginning, and not the end, of my labors on the world stage,” Mr. Obama said. “Compared to some of the giants of history who have received this prize — Schweitzer and King, Marshall and Mandela — my accomplishments are slight.” He added, “But perhaps the most profound issue surrounding my receipt of this prize is the fact that I am the commander in chief of a nation in the midst of two wars. One of these wars is winding down.” Trumpets sounded when Mr. Obama walked down the long aisle of the soaring ceremonial room, where an audience of 1,000 people waited. The president walked alongside his wife, Michelle Obama, who took her seat in the front row, while he assumed his position on the stage not far from the king and queen of Norway. It was a sober 36-minute speech by Mr. Obama. His remarks were only occasionally interrupted by applause, including when he said the United States “must remain a standard bearer in the conduct of war.” He renewed his pledge to close the prison at the American base at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. “We lose ourselves when we compromise the very ideals that we fight to defend,” Mr. Obama said. “And we honor those ideals by upholding them not when it is easy, but when it is hard.” The president conceded that there was “a deep ambivalence about military action today,” which he said was rooted in “a reflexive suspicion of America, the world’s sole military superpower.” But he offered a forceful defense of the United States, saying that the lessons of history should ease those suspicions. “Whatever mistakes we have made, the plain fact is this,” Mr. Obama said. “The United States of America has helped underwrite global security for more than six decades with the blood of our citizens and the strength of our arms.” The Nobel chairman, Thorbjorn Jagland, opened the ceremony by explaining how the committee came to its decision two months ago. He said Mr. Obama’s leadership had been a “call to action for all of us.” As he invoked the story of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the winner of the prize in 1964, he turned to Mr. Obama, saying, “Dr. King’s dream has come true.” Mr. Obama pursed his lips and nodded gently as the audience applauded loudly. When he was presented his gold medal, he stood for well over a minute as he was honored by a standing ovation. His speech, which he was still writing and editing during his seven-hour flight here, called for the world to embrace a bolder vision of itself. “Let us reach for the world that ought to be,” Mr. Obama said, “that spark of the divine that still stirs within each of our souls” … He added: “I do not bring with me today a definitive solution to the problems of war. What I do know is that meeting these challenges will require the same vision, hard work and persistence of those men and women who acted so boldly decades ago. And it will require us to think in new ways about the notions of just war and the imperatives of a just peace” … “I have no doubt that there are others who may be more deserving,” Mr. Obama said. “My task here is to continue on the path that I believe is not only important for America, but important for lasting peace and security in the world.” … Kjell Terje Ringdal, a commentator and communications adviser to Norwegian political leaders, said Mr. Obama’s speech broadened the discourse that normally attends the ceremony and undercut criticism that he was not a worthy winner. “I think he did the Nobel prize a favor,” said Mr. Ringdal. “I think the debate will continue about whether this year’s award was premature and so on, but I also think he stopped the negative feeling that there has been a devaluation of the award.”

Whatever one may think of the merits of bestowing this honor on President Obama at this early stage of his presidency, there is no doubt that his commitment to ensuring the peace of the world is true. It is very clear that he is very aware of the hard road ahead that leads to peace but I am very heartened by his resolve to work towards making the world a better, safer place and it is my hope that this Nobel Prize medal will be a constant reminder of the hard work it represents. The naysayers will never be silenced and the sharp criticism thrown his way will never end … but Barack Obama did not become President of the United States of America by succumbing to his detractors. I believe he is very capable of achieving great things. He’s won his award and now I hope he will truly earn it.

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Congratulations goes out to President Barack Obama who has just been named the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize recipient at an announcement ceremony in Oslo, Norway by the Norwegian Nobel Committee Head Thorbjoern Jagland. Cited for his “extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy, cooperation between peoples and vision for a world without nuclear weapons” in just the first few months of his presidency, President Obama becomes only the 3rd sitting president to win the Nobel Peace Prize (after Presidents Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson). Obama becomes the 4th president to win the Nobel Peace Prize overall (President Jimmy Carter won his award after he left office). Here are photos of Jagland making the award announcement in Oslo earlier today and President Obama making his acceptance comments at the White House just moments ago:

US President Barack Obama sensationally won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday just nine months into his term, prompting world leaders to urge him to use the accolade to step up efforts for global peace. The jury hailed Obama’s “extraordinary” efforts in international diplomacy and to hasten nuclear disarmament, but criticism surged quickly over how the award could be given so soon. The US leader, 48, said he was “humbled” by the distinction. “Only very rarely has a person to the same extent as Obama captured the world’s attention and given its people hope for a better future,” the Nobel jury said in making the stunning announcement. A gasp went through the Nobel Institute in Oslo as Obama’s name was read out. The committee attached “special importance to Obama’s vision and work for a world without nuclear weapons” and said he had created “a new climate in international politics.” Obama took office on January 20 and has sought to restore US standing after widespread criticism over the war in Iraq and the world superpower’s attitude to efforts to control global warming. The first black American president has brought the Israeli and Palestinian leaders together for a meeting, approved new diplomatic engagement with Iran, Myanmar and North Korea and signalled a new willingness to attack growing environmental problems. Obama went to Cairo to make a major speech on relations with the Muslim world, badly tarnished by President George W. Bush’s order to invade Iraq. At the United Nations, he has launched an initiative to reduce the number of nuclear weapons. The US president was awoken at 6:00 am at the White House by his spokesman to be told of the award. An administration official quoted Obama as saying he felt “humbled”. Obama was honored “for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples,” the head of the Norwegian Nobel Committee Thorbjoern Jagland said, adding that it was “a unanimous decision.” The jury said: “Dialogue and negotiations are preferred as instruments for resolving even the most difficult international conflicts. The vision of a world free from nuclear arms has powerfully stimulated disarmament and arms control negotiations,” it said. “Thanks to Obama’s initiative, the US is now playing a more constructive role in meeting the great climatic changes the world is confronting.” The committee said it was seeking to encourage Obama’s ideals rather than recognise concrete results. Speaking to AFP, Jagland said: “It was unavoidable to give the prize to the man who has improved the international climate and emphasised negotiations and dialogue. Before he took office the situation was so dangerous. Step by step he has given the message to the world that he wants to negotiate on all conflicts, strengthen the United Nations and work for a world without any nuclear arms.” German Chancellor Angela Merkel welcomed the award, calling it an “incentive to the president and to us all” to do more for peace.

This is quite an achievement and much congratulations goes out to our President today. Obama seems to instill a vision of hope that resonates beyond our US borders and was clearly recognized by the jury of the Nobel Prize. I fully expect this honor to inspire President Obama to do even more to work towards “strengthening international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples” not only for the duration of his time in office as president but for the rest of his life. Much, much congrats President Obama!!

UPDATE: President Obama has announced that he will donate the $1.4 million in prize money to charity. That’s classy, y’all!

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