Obama accepts Nobel Peace Prize

In a relatively brief ceremony is Oslo today, President Barack Obama accepted the Nobel Peace Prize. In his remarks, he acknowledged the controversy around his selection, saying, "Compared to some of the giants of history who have received this prize – Schweitzer and King; Marshall and Mandela – my accomplishments are slight."

Obama also addressed the incongruity of a "war president," who has just committed 30,000 troops to battle in Afghanistan, accepting a prize for peace. The president said that while he is inspired by the nonviolent principles of leaders like Mohandas Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr., as president, he "cannot be guided by their examples alone."

"A non-violent movement could not have halted Hitler's armies," he said. "Negotiations cannot convince al Qaeda's leaders to lay down their arms."

Obama will head home after today's festivities and fly back to Europe to join climate talks in Copenhagen at the end of next week.