Local reaction to Obama peace prize

BROWN COUNTY - President Obama says his receipt of the Nobel Peace Prize is a call to action.

"It's indicative of the hope that yet may come," said Steve Herro, social concerns director for the Catholic Diocese of Green Bay.

Herro is hoping the president's award will spur some action on issues important to the Catholic church, such as peace in the middle east.

"My hope is that as a Catholic serving in justice and peace, that the issues we are heavily vested in in the international scene, that this will maybe add some extra energy for those," said Herro.

"As Americans we should all be proud," said former Republican Congressman Mark Green.

Aside from representing Wisconsin's 8th Congressional District, Green also served as U.S. Ambassador to Tanzania during 2007and 2008. Now he works for Malaria No More, an organization which works to eliminate malaria in Africa.

Green says the United States needs to speak with a firm voice in world affairs, and the president's Nobel Peace Prize may help do that.

"These are very unsettled times, lots of challenges out there, and if winning the Nobel Peace Prize advances meeting those challenges, then it's a good thing. But obviously I think we all recognize, the president recognizes, there's a lot of work ahead, a lot of challenges that we need to take on, so it's an important time in history," said Green.

"I think this adds a little bit to the burden of expectation for the Barack Obama presidency," said Sam Dunlop, spokesperson for the Democratic Party of Brown County, "But I think he's up for the challenge."

The president's peace prize will not take away the challenges he faces, but people like Dunlop hope it will improve the way the world sees America..

"Certainly the receipt of this award doesn't exclude the fact that he's got a lot of things to accomplish ahead of him but it certainly adds to the element of importance that international relations has for this presidency and the way it will mark us moving forward," said Dunlop.

Other U.S. winners include former Vice President Al Gore, Martin Luther King Junior and Henry Kissinger. Gore said he believes Obama's win is "well deserved".

Click here for a list of former Nobel Peace Prize winners.