October 9, 2009 – President Barack Obama can now add “Nobel Prize winner” to his resume.

Although he’s only been in office for 37 weeks, the Nobel Committee praised the President for his “extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples.” This surprise decision makes Obama the third U.S. president to win the prize while still in office, after Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson.

The prize is worth $1.4 million and will be awarded to President Obama on December 10^th in Oslo, Norway.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee cited the president’s creation of a “new climate in international politics” and his work on nuclear disarmament as the primary reasons for his nomination and subsequent win. The Committee praised his efforts to give the world hope for a better future and improve diplomatic relations within the international community.

Despite the President’s best efforts to improve the American image, the announcement shocked people from Norway to the White House. “There has been no discussion, nothing at all,” said Rahm Emanuel, the president’s chief of staff, in a brief telephone interview.

Mr. Obama, who made history by becoming America’s first black president, has made it a priority to improve broken relations between the United States and the rest of the world. He famously vowed to pursue a world without nuclear weapons, reached out to the Muslim world by delivering a major speech in Cairo back in June, and is working hard to re-start peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians.

While the President has generated considerable goodwill overseas, many of his efforts have yet to see results. North Korea has continued to test missiles, but Iran has recently agreed to begin nuclear talks. Former President Jimmy Carter, who won the Nobel Prize in 2002, worked for decades to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, while President Obama is still new to the Oval Office.

Despite some whispers of criticism, the Nobel Committee remains steadfast in their decision. “We are not awarding the prize for what may happen in the future, but for what he has done in the previous year,” said Thorbjorn Jagland, the chairman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee. “We would hope this will enhance what he is trying to do.”

The decision to choose President Obama was unanimous, and that his recent work to pass a resolution calling for a strengthened Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty helped his candidacy.

While President Obama enjoys widespread international popularity, he still has a lot of work to do on the home front. He is trying to persuade Congress to overhaul the national health care system and is struggling to bolster support to send more troops to Afghanistan. Obama won international accolades when he promised to close Guantanamo Bay, the U.S. detention center in Cuba, but turning that pledge into a reality has proved to be difficult. His administration has also come under attack for its lackluster efforts to help resolve the conflict in Darfur.

The award comes when the President’s approval ratings have dropped to almost 50%, which leads many people to believe that he is more popular abroad than he is at home.

Do you think President Obama has enough accomplishments to deserve the Nobel Peace Prize? Sound off on this issue below and let us know!