Accepting Nobel prize, Obama acknowledges controversy

By MARGARET TALEV
McClatchy Newspapers


President Barack Obama cautiously accepted the Nobel Peace Prize on Thursday in Oslo, acknowledging "the considerable controversy" over his award because he's accomplished little on the world stage in less than a year on the job and has just called for sending 30,000 to 35,000 more U.S. troops to war in Afghanistan.

Given the stature of some past winners, and the ordeals faced by humanitarian leaders who've never won, Obama said that "I cannot argue with those who find these men and women, some known, some obscure to all but those they help, to be far more deserving of this honor than I."

In his acceptance speech at Oslo City Hall on a daylong stop that's irked some Norwegians because of its brevity, the president wove themes of optimism and realism. He spoke at once of the inevitability of some war and his belief in a "North Star" of faith in human progress.

Obama hit on perhaps the central reason for the Nobel committee's decision when he emphasized his belief that the United States must rely more on multilateralism to handle evolving conflicts. European frustration with former President George W. Bush's unilateral approach, especially toward Iraq, has helped to fuel their investment in Obama as an alternative.

In turn, the president called on other nations to step up their commitments to U.N. peacekeeping efforts, nuclear disarmament and imposing serious sanctions on regimes that pose a threat to world stability.

"It is also incumbent upon all of us to insist that nations like Iran and North Korea do not game the system," he said. "Those who seek peace cannot stand idly by as nations arm themselves for nuclear war."

"I do not bring with me today a definitive solution to the problems of war," Obama said. "There is no simple formula here. But we must try as best we can to balance isolation and engagement, pressure and incentives, so that human rights and dignity are advanced over time."

Nobel committee Chairman Thorbjorn Jagland, in remarks before Obama's, defended the choice, saying the prize should be an "instrument for peace rather than stamp of approval" and that "peace must be built again and again."

Obama used his remarks to praise civil demonstrators in Zimbabwe and Iran and in Myanmar, where he singled out pro-democracy figure Aung Sang Suu Kyi by name.

While embracing the nonviolent messages of Martin Luther King Jr., who also won the Nobel prize, and Mohandas Gandhi, who did not, the president said that "as head of state sworn to protect and defend my nation, I cannot be guided by their examples alone."

"Evil does exist in the world," Obama said. "A nonviolent movement could not have halted Hitler's armies. Negotiations cannot convince al-Qaida's leaders to lay down their arms. To say that force is sometimes necessary is not a call to cynicism. It is a recognition of history, the imperfections of man and the limits of reason."

Obama becomes the third sitting U.S. president, after Woodrow Wilson and Theodore Roosevelt, to win the peace prize.

President Jimmy Carter won the prize two decades after his presidency. Former Vice President Al Gore's Nobel came after the end of the Clinton administration.

In studying past acceptance speeches, Obama and his speechwriting team also pored over the words of nonpresidential winners, including George Marshall, the former secretary of defense and secretary of state and the first career soldier to win the Nobel for his initiative to rebuild Europe after World War II.

Obama arrived in Norway shortly after 8 a.m. local time Thursday, or 2 a.m. EST, the sky dusky and flecked with snow and sleet.

Accompanied by his wife and an official entourage, the president went by motorcade to the Nobel Institute for the ceremonial signing of the guest book. The motorcade passed clusters of onlookers, including children with flags, and protesters with a banner that read, "Obama, you won it now earn it."

Then he was off to a bilateral meeting with Norway's prime minister, Jens Stoltenberg, at which Stoltenberg announced that his country was raising its financial commitment to fund the Afghan army and police to $110 million through 2014.

"I only wish that my family could stay longer in this wonderful country, but I still have a lot of work to do back in Washington, D.C., before the year is done," Obama said.

The leaders took just two questions, one from each press corps.

Obama told U.S. reporters, in response to a question about whether July 2011 really was a firm date to begin withdrawing U.S. troops from Afghanistan, "I've been unambiguous about this, so there should not be a debate. Starting in July 2011 we will begin that transition, that transfer of responsibility."

He said the pace and tactics would be conditions-based and that the drawdown would not be sharp, "but July 2011 will signal a shift in our mission."

A Norwegian reporter asked what Obama would do to counter criticism that his Nobel prize was premature.

The president said his foreign policy goal "is not to win a popularity contest or to get an award" but "to advance America's interests, to strengthen our economy at home and to make ourselves a continuing force for good in the world. ...

"If I'm successful in those tasks, then hopefully some of the criticism will subside, but that's not really my concern. And if I'm not successful, then all the praise and the awards in the world won't disguise that fact."

At the Slottet Royal Palace of Norway, the Obamas met with King Harald V, Queen Sonja, Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit.

The queen confessed wishing that she were taller to first lady Michelle Obama, who's 5 feet 11, and when the queen asked whether the Obamas were accustomed to the crowd of news crews following them, President Obama's answer was, "Unfortunately."