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Thursday, December 10, 2009

Obama: Peace is goal, but war sometimes justified

OSLO – President Barack Obama says war is sometimes necessary and justified, even as he accepts the Nobel Peace Prize.

The president acknowledged on Thursday that many people feel he has not done enough to deserve the prize that he received in Oslo. He also noted that he recently ordered another 30,000 U.S. troops to fight in Afghanistan.

But Obama said in his acceptance speech that people must accept "the hard truth" that violence cannot be eradicated and nations sometimes must wage war to protect their citizens from evil regimes or terrorist groups.

Obama says a nonviolent movement could not have halted Hitler's armies and negotiations cannot persuade al-Qaida's leaders to disarm. He says accepting that is not a call to cynicism but a recognition of man's imperfections.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

OSLO (AP) — President Barack Obama says the nonviolence practiced by such leaders as Gandhi and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. should be a guiding force.

In a speech Thursday as he formally accepts his Nobel Peace Prize, the president says their pacifism may not have been practical or even possible in every circumstance. But he says the love they showed and their faith in human progress must always be a guiding force.

The White House released excerpts of Obama's speech shortly before he was to speak at the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony at city hall in Oslo, Norway.

The Nobel committee announced in October that Obama had won the prize in recognition for his aspirations to reshape U.S. relations with the world.