The timing is a little awkward, hard on the heels of a 30,000-troop buildup in Afghanistan, and it’s a little off-topic given the focus on jobs — but President Obama is off to Norway to collect his Nobel Peace Prize.
According to the White House, the president plans to tackle head-on in Oslo the apparent contradiction of conducting two wars while accepting an award for peace.
The president recently announced a new war strategy for Afghanistan that includes a rapid buildup of troops, followed by the start of a full withdrawal to begin in 18 months.
In bestowing the international honor, the five-member Nobel committee cited Obama’s leadership in creating “a new climate in international politics.” They also noted his commitment to nuclear disarmament.
In accepting the award, Obama joins Nelson Mandela, the Dalai Lama, Elie Wiesel, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Mother Teresa, all past laureates. The president has said he does not feel deserving of the prize and considers the award aspirational.
“I do not view it as a recognition of my own accomplishments,” the president said after the surprise announcement in October.
Since then, there has been scant mention of the Nobel Peace Prize publicly at the White House, where the president has remained grimly focused on job creation, with a quick time-out recently to announce the Afghanistan troop surge.
“I know that throughout history, the Nobel Peace Prize has not just been used to honor specific achievement; it’s also been used as a means to give momentum to a set of causes,” Obama said, adding, “That is why I will accept this award as a call to action.”
Events in Oslo surrounding the honor include a torch-lit procession, a formal banquet and a speech by the president. He has reportedly hurt the feelings of his Norwegian hosts by truncating his schedule and skipping a traditional lunch with King Harald.
Obama’s presence in Oslo is expected to draw heavy protests. A recent poll by the InFact Institute in Norway found uneasiness over the award, with just 35.9 percent of Norwegians saying he deserved it, down from 42.7 who supported the award in October.
Closer to home, a new poll by Quinnipiac University found only 26 percent of Americans believed he deserved the award.
Susan MacManus, a political scientist at the University of South Florida, said Americans seemed generally pleased that Obama has improved relations abroad, but would rather he work on pressing domestic concerns.
“I think the polls show Americans would prefer he focus on jobs right now,” MacManus said.
Since Obama came to office less than a year ago, troop strength in Afghanistan has increased from 34,000 and could soon reach 100,000 from the announced surge.
Gibbs said administration officials were still evaluating which charities should receive the $1.4 million in prize money that comes with the Nobel, which Obama said he planned to donate.
