President Barack Obama Wins Nobel Peace Prize
Posted on Oct 09, 2009 @ 04:06AM
President Barack Obama won the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for "his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples," the Norwegian Nobel Committee said.
In announcing their decision, the committee cited Mr. Obama's outreach to the Muslim world and attempts to curb nuclear proliferation.
A White House official said the President feels "humbled" by the honor.
"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 committee said. "His diplomacy is founded in the concept that those who are to lead the world must do so on the basis of values and attitudes that are shared by the majority of the world's population."
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The Nobel committee praised Obama's creation of "a new climate in international politics" and said he had returned multilateral diplomacy and institutions like the U.N. to the center of the world stage. Some observors say the honor appeared to be a slap at President George W. Bush, whom the committee had harshly criticized for resorting to largely unilateral military action in the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks.
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The stunning choice made Obama only the third sitting U.S. president to win the Nobel Peace Prize. President Theodore Roosevelt won the award in 1906 and President Woodrow Wilson won in 1919. Jimmy Carter won The Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 -- after he left office.
Mister Obama's name had been mentioned in speculation before the award but many Nobel watchers believed it was too early to award the president.
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"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," Thorbjoern Jagland, chairman of the Nobel Committee said. "In the past year Obama has been a key person for important initiatives in the U.N. for nuclear disarmament and to set a completely new agenda for the Muslim world and East-West relations."
He added that the committee endorsed "Obama's appeal that 'Now is the time for all of us to take our share of responsibility for a global response to global challenges.'"
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The Nobel committee received a record 205 nominations for this year's prize though it was not immediately apparent who nominated Obama.
Favorites for the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize had included Zimbabwe's Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, a Colombian senator and a Chinese dissident, along with an Afghan woman's rights activist.
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This jackhole doesn't deserve a bowling trophy, much less the Nobel Peace Prize. You think the people that awarded it to him are rethinking their choice now?? Kind of like the people who voted him are rethinking their vote. smh
Posted Fri, 07/29/2011 - 7:21pm
now if anyone comes back and remarks I"M not making sense about the presidents! they need a reality check! or just plain mean ugly people which it would be one of Kate Gosselin faithful fans
Posted Sun, 10/11/2009 - 10:31am
When u make fun of presidents u can ?? their intelligence or their actions or their physical appearance, but you don't ?? their character or patriotism,that's like going after the wives in the Mafia..
Posted Sun, 10/11/2009 - 10:28am
What has he done to deserve this award! This award has just been watered down it means nothing!
Posted Fri, 10/09/2009 - 5:26pm
BTW, Bush, his family & friends are laughing all the way to the bank. While America is struggling b/c of unemployment, foreclosures, etc. Bush is lounging in the lap of luxury thanx to the loyalty of his followers.
Posted Fri, 10/09/2009 - 3:17pm
8 years of President Bush drove America into a financial catastrophy. Obama inherits Bush's economic recession & expect Obama to walk on water & create a miracle. Illogical ideology.
Posted Fri, 10/09/2009 - 3:13pm
Ideology of the Nobel Prize committe was b/c of Obama's efforts to initiate "a new climate in international politics" vs Bush's "unilateral military action." Only TIME will tell if he is truly worthy of the Nobel Peace Prize.
Posted Fri, 10/09/2009 - 3:11pm
For a moment there I thought it was an April's fool day prank!!!
Posted Fri, 10/09/2009 - 2:15pm
Adam Bromberg, CRC: Nobel Prize Committee must be staffed by out of work comedy writers.
Kristina Hernandez, CRC: It was the Beer Summit that put Obama over the edge
Posted Fri, 10/09/2009 - 2:10pm
Ezra Klein: Obama also awarded Nobel prize in chemistry. "He's just got great chemistry," says Nobel Committee
Posted Fri, 10/09/2009 - 2:09pm