He did it! After committing 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan, President Obama became the first war time president to accept the Nobel Peace Prize.
At Oslo, President Obama acknowledged he still struggled with “difficult questions about the relationship between war and peace.”
“I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge the considerable controversy that your generous decision has generated,” Obama said early in his acceptance speech.
“Compared to some of the giants of history who have received this prize—Schweitzer and King, Marshall and Mandela—my accomplishments are slight.”
In a Republican-worthy speech, Obama declared the existence of evil and said force was needed to deal with certain issues.
“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,” he said. “The nonviolence practiced by men like Gandhi and King may not have been practical or possible in every circumstance, but the love that they preached—their faith in human progress—must always be the North Star that guides us on our journey.” (Read the speech.)
Watch Afghans’ react to Obama’s Nobel
