Peace prize comes with tests and efforts

The U.S.-backed Afghan government of Hamid Karzai has been implicated in vote rigging charges while U.S. and NATO military efforts in the region are deteriorating.

Obama's invitation to Iran has been met by a defiant Tehran that is cracking down on dissidents and possibly pushing its way to nuclear weaponry.

The president pointed out the magnitude of the challenges ahead in his inauguration speech: “I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time.”

While his newly minted laureate status is undoubtedly an honor, it also heavily burdens a president already facing the outsized expectations heaped upon America's first black president.

The prize also provides handy ammunition for conservative pundits continue denouncing Obama as all hype, no substance.

A Nobel Peace Prize win after less than a year in the Oval Office pushes Obama's trajectory radically high. The only way up for him now, it seems, is sainthood.

Policywise, every diplomatic and military move Obama makes from now on will be judged through the Peace Prize lens. A deployment of additional troops to Afghanistan, for example, could be viewed as “unbecoming” of a Nobel laureate.

As the Nobel Committee noted, Obama brings hope and a fresh start not only to his country but to the world. For that alone, he is entitled to commendation. However, hope alone does not bring peace, but is merely its beginning. It would be fairer to Obama if the world can give him more time to finish his work.

The president could humbly decline Peace Prize, asking instead for a chance to prove his worth. In terms of personality, such humility would show the character of a true peacemaker.

On the other hand, the Nobel Committee has already awarded him the prize through its recognition of Obama—the medal itself is just icing on the cake.

By declining the Nobel Peace Prize, Obama can have his cake and eat it too. He could enjoy the prestige of being a Nobel laureate without the extra baggage of the medal.

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