The live stream is here, I'll post a link to his speech transcript as soon as I get it. Please feel free to use this as a thread to discuss Barack Obama's Nobel Peace Prize award.
UPDATE: Here is a link to President Obama's speech. A few highlights.
*Obama acknowledges right up front the "considerable controversy" about this award, and also that his "accomplishments are slight" compared to "giants of history" like Mandela, King, etc.
*Obama also notes that he is "Commander-in-Chief of a nation in the midst of two wars."
*Obama acknowledges "the hard truth that we will not eradicate violent conflict in our lifetimes."
*Obama states point blank, "make no mistake: evil does exist in the world," that "Negotiations cannot convince al Qaeda’s leaders to lay down their arms," and that "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."
*He says that "all nations – strong and weak alike – must adhere to standards that govern the use of force."
*He believes that "force can be justified on humanitarian grounds, as it was in the Balkans..."
*He says, "even as we confront a vicious adversary that abides by no rules, I believe that the United States of America must remain a standard bearer in the conduct of war."
*Obama declares - specifically citing Iran and North Korea - that "Those regimes that break the rules must be held accountable," talks about halting the spread of nuclear weapons, and not "stand idly by as nations arm themselves for nuclear war." He adds, "When there is genocide in Darfur; systematic rape in Congo; or repression in Burma – there must be consequences."
*Obama stresses that "if human rights are not protected, peace is a hollow promise," and adds that "America will always be a voice for those aspirations that are universal."
*Echoing FDR, Obama says "true peace is not just freedom from fear, but freedom from want."
*Obama says, "We do not have to live in an idealized world to still reach for those ideals that will make it a better place." He adds, "let us reach for the world that ought to be – that spark of the divine that still stirs within each of our souls."
*He concludes:
We can acknowledge that oppression will always be with us, and still strive for justice. We can admit the intractability of depravation, and still strive for dignity. We can understand that there will be war, and still strive for peace. We can do that – for that is the story of human progress; that is the hope of all the world; and at this moment of challenge, that must be our work here on Earth.
