VIA: CBSNews.com
President Barack Obama won the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for “his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples,” the Norwegian Nobel Committee said, citing his outreach to the Muslim world and attempts to curb nuclear proliferation.
The committee said Mr. Obama’s efforts to promote a “global response to global challenges” cemented their decision.
CBS News White House correspondent Peter Maer reports that White House press secretary Robert Gibbs emailed a one-word reaction to the news Friday morning: “Wow.”
The White House was clearly just as shocked by the announcment as the reporters gathered in Oslo, reports Maer.
It was Gibbs who eventually told Mr. Obama he had won the prestigious Prize – about 45 minutes after the announcement at 6 a.m. EDT, reports CBS News senior White House correspondent Bill Plante.
