![](http://a.abcnews.com/images/International/rt_Obama3_091009_mn.jpg)
In a suprising move, U.S. president Barack Obama was named today as the recipient of the 2009 Nobel Peace prize.
Obama won the award months into his presidency and his bid was one of a record 200+ for the prestigious award. "Only very rarely has a person to the same extent as Obama captured
the world's attention and given its people hope for a better future," said a statement emitted by the selection committee. Obama accepted the prize but confessed that
he didn’t “deserve to be in the company of so many transformative figures that have been honored by this prize."
Zimbabwe’s Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and Afghan human rights activist Sima Sama were among the favorites as well as Colombians
Piedad Cordoba and
Ingrid Betancourt. Ultimately, however, Obama became the third sitting U.S. president to win the award in a decision that one reporter worried
was “aspirational (and) not based on accomplishments.”
Despite not being selected, Cordoba extended her
congratulations to Obama:
Colombian opposition Senator Piedad Cordoba Friday congratulated U.S. President Barack Obama for being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Cordoba had been tipped as one of the most probable to win the prestigious award.
On her twitter page, Cordoba congratulated Obama and wrote that "with or without the Nobel I will continue to do the same I have done all this time. Work for peace in Colombia."
Obama’s record regarding Latinos and Latin America has been mixed so far. He has been praised for his push towards multilateralism during the Summit of the Americas, desire to close the Guantanamo prison camp, and attempt to breach the political gap with Cuba. But he has also been blasted for waffling on
immigration reform, tabling several free trade deals, and (depending on who you believe) either aiding or strongly opposing Honduras’ de facto regime.
Image- ABC News
Online Sources- The Latin Americanist, Reuters, BBC News, YouTube, Huffington Post, Colombia Reports, Vivirlatino