President Obama is making history today as one of only three sitting Presidents to win a Nobel Peace Prize. The esteemed honor was announced this morning by The Norwegian Nobel Committee for “his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples.”
According to The Associated Press, his win comes as a surprise for many who deemed Zimbabwe’s Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, Colombian senator Piedad Cordoba and Chinese dissident Hu Jia the favorites for the prize. His name had been mentioned briefly “Nobel Observers” are shocked because Obama took office less than two weeks before the Feb. 1 nomination deadline. Many Nobel watchers believed it was too early to award the president.
The other two presidents to win the Nobel Peace Prize while in office are Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson. Former President Jimmy Carter was awarded the prize in 2002.
