Obama accepts Nobel Prize (MSNBC.com 2009) http://www.msnbc

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Obama accepts Nobel Prize
(MSNBC.com 2009)
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032619/vp/34362755#34370666
Good evening. Being awarded the Nobel Peace prize put President Obama in a tough spot. First
off, it’s an honor, a genuine honor with no real parallel in the world, but he is after all a newly elected
president in his first year on the job who inherited and is fighting not one but two wars. Knowing that,
the President had to give a speech today that reflected reality. He now joins Jimmy Carter, Teddy
Roosevelt and others as a Nobel Prize recipient. We begin here tonight in Norway with our chief White
House correspondent, Chuck Todd.
And good evening to you Brian. President Obama can now add the accolade Nobel laureate to his résumé
and he did so reluctantly, but the biggest surprise in that acceptance speech for the peace prize was his
full-throated support for so-called just wars.
It was perhaps his biggest moment on the world stage as president
I receive this honor with deep gratitude and great humility.
Receiving the Nobel Peace prize at a ceremony in Oslo this morning, the president struck a humble tone.
Compared to some of the giants of history who’ve received this prize -- Schweitzer, King, Marshall and
Mandela -- my accomplishments are slight.
The prize comes a week after the President announced he is escalading the war in Afghanistan, sending
an additional thirty thousand U.S. troops. Today Mr Obama addressed that tension between being a
war-time President and a peace-prize recipient.
To say that force may sometimes be necessary is not a call to cynicism; it is recognition of history, the
imperfections of man and the limits of reason.
The President took that defensive ‘just wars’ a step further by arguing America’s military might has been
a force for peace.
Whatever mistakes we have made, the plain fact is this; the United States of America has helped
underwrite global security for more than six decades with the blood of our citizens and the strength of our
arms.
The Nobel committee cited Mr Obama for creating a new climate in international politics, for his focus on
nuclear disarmament and for his work toward a global agreement to combat climate change.
Only rarely does one person dominate the international politics to the same extent as Obama.
Mr Obama becomes the fourth U.S. President to win the award and the twenty-first American.
Despite the candid war talk, it didn’t dampen the enthusiasm for thousands who chanted his name.
The President later made brief remarks at a black-tie affair in his honor where he paid tribute to his late
mother.
It’s worth noting that to the extent I am deserving of this esteemed prize either now or in the future, it
will be largely because of her and the largeness of her heart.
The award comes with prize money Mr Obama has not yet decided which charity will receive the 1.4
million dollars.
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By the way, Brian, not very much criticism from conservatives in America for this speech, in fact, both
Newt Gingrich and Sarah Palin praised the President speech. However, the hawkish tone is getting mixed
reactions from European media.
Alright, Chuck Todd in Norway.
Vocabulary
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
to be in a tough spot
first off
genuine honor
recipient
Norway
accolade
résumé/resume (the pronunciation is the same as in
French)
8. reluctantly
être dans une situation difficile/délicate
tout d’abord
sincère, authentique
récipiendaire
la Norvège
distinction
C.V.
9. full-throated support
10. so-called just war
11. to strike a humble tone
12. slight
13. might
14. plain fact
15. to underwrite global security
16. to cite someone
17. to the same extent as Obama
18. to dampen the enthusiasm
19. a black-tie affair
annoncé à haut voix
soi-disant
parler d’une manière humble
mince
force, puissance
la réalité
garantir
citer comme exemple
autant que
(fig.) refroidir
(événement) en tenue de soirée
20. to pay tribute to someone
21. his late mother
22. It is worth noting
23. to the extent that I am deserving
24. largely because of her
25. the largeness of her heart
26. by the way
27. a hawkish tone
28. to get mixed reactions
rendre hommage à quelqu’un
sa défunte mère
Il est important de dire
dans la mesure que je mérite
en grande partie grâce à elle
la bonté de son Coeur
en passant
un ton belliciste
a été reçu par des sentiments partagés
à contrecoeur