Obama accepts Nobel Peace Prize

Politics, US — By News Wire on December 14, 2009 at 08:01

But It’s Up to Us to End This War

From President Obama’s speech to accept the Nobel Peace Prize today:

Doug Mills/The New York Times

There will be times when nations — acting individually or in concert — will find the use of force not only necessary but morally justified.I make this statement mindful of what Martin Luther King said in this same ceremony years ago: “Violence never brings permanent peace. It solves no social problem: It merely creates new and more complicated ones.” As someone who stands here as a direct consequence of Dr. King’s life’s work, I am living testimony to the moral force of non-violence. I know there is nothing weak, nothing passive, nothing naive in the creed and lives of Gandhi and King.

But as a head of state sworn to protect and defend my nation, I cannot be guided by their examples alone. I face the world as it is, and cannot stand idle in the face of threats to the American people. For make no mistake: Evil does exist in the world. A nonviolent movement could not have halted Hitlers armies. Negotiations cannot convince al-Qaidas leaders to lay down their arms. To say that force is sometimes necessary is not a call to cynicism — it is a recognition of history, the imperfections of man and the limits of reason.
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So yes, the instruments of war do have a role to play in preserving the peace.

Philosophize all you want, buddy. But today I found this other clip, a little old, from back when you were running for president. It’s a very quick fifteen seconds that I’ve replayed over and over today.