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Obama in Oslo: “If I fail as president no prize can cover that up”
Before receiving the Nobel Peace Prize, the President of the United States, Barack Obama, spoke in news conference in Oslo and reduced the status of the award compared to his role: "If I fail as president, all the awards in the world will not cover that up." About the criticism of his being chosen for the Prize he said: “When I succeed in my role all the criticism will disappear.”
Obama, along with first lady Michelle Obama, walked into Oslo City Hall at 1 p.m. on Thursday to a trumpet fanfare and sustained applause.
"I receive this honor with deep gratitude and great humility," he said. "It is an award that speaks to our highest aspirations -- that for all the cruelty and hardship of our world, we are not mere prisoners of fate. Our actions matter, and can bend history in the direction of justice.
"And yet 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."
In his Nobel speech, Obama expounded on the concept of "just war" and the necessity of the use of force.
"I do not bring with me today a definitive solution to the problems of war," Obama said. "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."
In a press conference prior to receiving the prize, Obama said he believes that the prize will not rescue him if he fails in his post, perhaps because he is receiving the prize due to his efforts to strive towards the goal of peace while in his capacity as President of the world's largest superpower, although he has yet to see any concrete results from his efforts.
(David Schallheim contributed to this report)
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