President Obama Wins 2009 Nobel Peace Prize amid Controversy

October 9, 2009

Barack H. Obama, the 44th president of the United States of America, is the winner of the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize. President Obama makes history as the first third (thank you @SoSharon) sitting U. S. president to receive the award, and as the third black American to win the coveted peace prize. (Ralph Bunche was the first recipient and then Martin Luther King, Jr.)

While the Nobel Foundation justified the award to President Obama in this simple statement:

“for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples”

news sources report that the reaction has been mixed and in some cases outright critical of the selection to the point of demanding that the president turn down the prize.

Reasons stated for the mixed reaction as best conveyed by Sun Sentinel reporter, Michael Mayo

He leads a nation still waging two wars, in Iraq and Afghanistan.

He has ordered more troops into Afghanistan, where unmanned “predator drones” drop bombs that kill civilians.

Heck, his space agency even bombed the moon on Friday morning.

David Axelrod told MSNBC, “This is all news to us, so I don’t know what we’re going to do with regards to that. I would assume so, but I don’t know.”

And all we’d like to say is “Congratulations, Mr. President.”

Category: News, web 2.0 | Tags: 2009 Nobel Peace Prize, Barack Obama, Michael Mayo, Nobel Foundation, Sun Sentinel

Guest

Obama is not the first sitting president to win the award. Both Teddy Roosevelt (1906) and Woodrow Wilson (1919) won while still in office.

Anonymous

Corrected. Thank you!

@smashadv

President Obama could have a bowel movement and it would be controversial to some people.

mkrob.com

I don't know how he did it, but he did!!! Congratulations President O!!! :-D

ParadiseWishes

*DONT_KNOW* I too am having mixed feelings. I applaude Nobel Committee for recognizing his efforts to at least "attempt" to be more diplomatic rather that acting like a bully. It's just that I have to concur with Michael Mayo's comments, we are at war, more troops are going in and YEAH we did just bomb to moon! It's an outrageous case of can't win for losing situation. This Black man will be damned if he do and damned if he don't. I believe had the prize been given a more peaceful time or at the very least at a time where the current decisions actually made sense it would be more palatable to accept. *yeah Obama?* :-E

<3tombrady12

*DONT_KNOW* I am having bad feelings about our president winning the nobel peace prize. he hasn't done much yet, and him receiving it is just fodder for other countries to make fun of the united states. plus, the nobel peace prize is given tho those who have actually done some monumental. our president has SAID he will do something, but since he hasn't done anything yet, it would've been better to hold off for a few years and leave the nobel peace prize in good standing.