Originally published on the CGS blog on October 9, 2009.
I was pleased by President Obama’s ‘aw-shucks’ comments on winning the Nobel Peace Prize, saying:
“After I received the news, Malia walked in and said, “Daddy, you won the Nobel Peace Prize, and it is Bo’s birthday!” And then Sasha added, “Plus, we have a three-day weekend coming up.” So it’s good to have kids to keep things in perspective.”
But what really impressed me was how he framed his acceptance of it:
I will accept this award as a call to action — a call for all nations to confront the common challenges of the 21st century. These challenges can’t be met by any one leader or any one nation…. We cannot tolerate a world in which nuclear weapons spread to more nations and in which the terror of a nuclear holocaust endangers more people….We cannot accept the growing threat posed by climate change, which could forever damage the world that we pass on to our children — sowing conflict and famine; destroying coastlines and emptying cities.
This is a call to action that needs to be answered. Not only by nations, but by global citizens from across the world. I believe President Obama understands the need for action. It’s up to us to stand up together make this vision a reality.
