President Obama accepted the Nobel Peace Prize, well, by explicitly suggesting that he wasn't really in the same league as some past winners. The beginning of the speech is the key part:
I am both surprised and deeply humbled by the decision of the Nobel Committee. Let me be clear: I do not view it as a recognition of my own accomplishments, but rather as an affirmation of American leadership on behalf of aspirations held by people in all nations.So the president accepts the award -- while suggesting he doesn't really deserve it and using it as an opportunity to praise the accomplishments of others. Given the potential diplomatic fallout of rejecting the prize, and the absurdity of accepting it as though he had genuinely done something to deserve it, this seems like an appropriate middle ground.
To be honest, I do not feel that I deserve to be in the company of so many of the transformative figures who've been honored by this prize -- men and women who've inspired me and inspired the entire world through their courageous pursuit of peace.
But I also know that this prize reflects the kind of world that those men and women, and all Americans, want to build -- a world that gives life to the promise of our founding documents. And 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. And that is why I will accept this award as a call to action -- a call for all nations to confront the common challenges of the 21st century.
-- A. Serwer