After being announced as this year’s recipient, President Barack Obama accepted the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo and promised to “reach for the world that ought to be.”
When Obama announced his plan of withdrawing US soldiers from Afghanistan in mid-2011, many critics attacked. Obama says he was “unambiguous” about the date and would not speak upon it farther. He did add, though, that he felt there are others that are “more deserving” of the prize.
Chairman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee defended Obama’s prize by saying it seized the opportunity to support his ideas. “Many have argued that the prize comes too early,” said Thorbjoern Jagland. “But history can tell us a great deal about lost opportunities.”
Meanwhile, Mr. and Mrs. Obama traveled to the Norwegian Nobel Institute to sign a guest book after a day at Oslo.
The President of the United States was extremely honored to received the peace prize and wrote: “To the Nobel Commitee, I am deeply honoured to receive this esteemed prize, and grateful for the extraordinary work that the committee has done over the years to promote a global peace, liberate the oppressed and give voice to the voiceless. Barack Obama.”
