Chairman of the Nobel Peace Prize committee Thorbjorn Jagland holds a picture of President Obama.

David Gergen | Bio
AC360° Contributor
CNN Senior Political Analyst

The awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to Obama is so unorthodox that it almost leaves one speechless. Even so, a few thoughts seem in order:

First, all Americans should join in celebrating this award to our president and congratulate him for the way he has inspired millions of citizens across the globe. Whatever one may think about Obama’s policies and politics, it is a special occasion when the Nobel Prize Committee recognizes the work and the dream of an American. We celebrate Americans who win prizes in medicine, science, and economics, and so too should we celebrate those who win for peace. It is churlish for some to attack the President and the Nobel Prize Committee today.

Second, it is clear that Barack Obama has not yet climbed the mountains that his predecessors had when they won their Peace Prizes. A Nobel was awarded to Martin Luther King, Jr. after the March on Washington, not before. Both of the two sitting presidents who won the Nobel Peace Prize previously, Teddy Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson, were recognized after they had achieved substantial accomplishments. It is widely understood in the United States, even in the Obama White House, that his major accomplishments remain ahead, not behind. Just last weekend, Saturday Night Live stirred politicos with its parody of Obama, claiming he has accomplished nothing. That went too far, but it was suggestive of the country’s mood.

Third, a critical question will be how this award influences President Obama’s leadership in international affairs in the years ahead. His critics should recognize that it will strengthen his diplomatic hand, and that could be a distinct benefit for US foreign policy. Soft power, as we have learned, is often as potent as hard power in today’s world. By equal measures, the President’s supporters should recognize that there is a possible downside to this award. As much as we want a president who is a peacemaker, we also want someone who is tough enough to stand up for American interests in a dangerous world. As the President makes decisions on critical issues like Afghanistan, he may be tempted to play to some of the peacenik tendencies that we have sometimes seen in Western Europe and elsewhere. This would be wrong. He has a larger and more serious set of responsibilities in keeping America and the world safe. It is worth remembering that the American Eagle, which is embedded in the Presidential seal, holds a branch of peace in one talon but carries a fistful of arrows in the other.

After the Jena arrest, Mychal Bell was released in late 2007 and agreed to a plea deal.

Mychal Bell
For The Global Grind

My name is Mychal Bell and I was one of the Jena Six that was charged with attempted murder down in Jena, Louisiana in 2006. As of now, seeing that we have a black president, and with the anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. tomorrow, I wanted to share with you my dream like Dr. King shared his dream with everybody. I even had the chance, although I was in shackles and handcuffs, to meet Martin Luther King III, when he came to visit me in prison. So, I feel like I have a connection to the King family.

When I look back at the day that I got in a fight with Justin Barker at my high school, I now realize that I should have done what Dr. King preached, which was non-violence. A few months before the fight, I remember seeing nooses hung from a tree at my school, and none of the few black students knew who was responsible. But, what came to my mind was images of Mississippi burning, seeing how black people were hung and killed, and it felt very disrespectful. In the small town that I grew up in, I had always felt that black people and white people didn't get along. After all, this was Louisiana.

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The story from MLK to President-elect Barack Obama in CNN's short film "From MLK to Today." Directed by Antoine Fuqua.

Obama, with his wife Michelle, addresses volunteers at a luncheon on Monday.

Nic Lott
Mississippi Office of Renewal and Recovery

Tonight as I sit here with over a thousand people at the Congress of Racial Equality annual celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s great contributions to the promise of America, I am filled with pride and a sense of duty and service to help fulfill the dream.

This evening not only serves as an evening to reflect upon the past and honor those brave pioneers who made sacrifices, some the ultimate sacrifice, to ensure that America realizes her true potential.

This evening is the eve of a momentous occasion in our nation's history. We remember the marches for freedom in our not-so-long-ago past. Now, time will march on as America celebrates the hope that people can judge others by the content of their character and not by the color of their skin.

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Director Antoine Fuqua takes us behind-the-scenes on CNN's short film, "From MLK to Today."

Jennifer Donahue
New Hampshire Institute of Politics

Today, on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, I looked over at my 6 year old and reminded her that when she was five she met and shook hands with Barack Obama and asked if she knows what will happen tomorrow.

She told me he will become president and mentioned that he ran for a long time. He did, I told her. It was a long race for president. And an important one.

Words don't do it justice.

Martin Luther King Jr. waves to supporters from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial on August 28, 1963.

Benjamin Ola. Akande
Dean, Webster University School of Business & Technology

As a child growing up in Nigeria, I was a dreamer. My parents never dismissed my dreams. They were always encouraging. No matter how outright unbelievable my dreams were, they would assure me that dreams do come true. Dreams provide a glimpse of what the future will look like. I wish I could have recorded all those dreams.

Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream was recorded. It was a dream that was played out in front of thousands of people and like most dreams, no one really knew how it would play out. As the dream was recalled over the years, it became clear that this was a significant and compelling vision of the future. Martin’s dream was in the form of a remarkable prose on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. Most of us can hear him recite this dream in our subconscious. “I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made straight and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together.” It is a dream that visualizes a future where all those things that seemed impossible and improbable will happen despite overwhelming obstacles.

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Martin Luther King Jr. waves to supporters from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial on August 28, 1963.

Eboo Patel and Samantha Kirby
Interfaith YouthCore

As we honor the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. today, we look forward to tomorrow's historic inauguration. And as this inauguration realizes an important dimension of King's dream about racial diversity and equality, it is another dimension of America's multiculturalism that has caused the most controversy for the Obama team: religion.

Americans may be surprised to learn that, just as King's dream has guided Obama regarding matters of race, so has his vision provided a great deal of inspiration regarding religious diversity.

The frenzy surrounding prayer at President Obama's inauguration events doesn't surprise us. At last count, an openly gay Bishop, a prominent Evangelical preacher, a white female Muslim, and three Rabbis from different branches of Judaism will each be offering prayers over the next few days.

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President-elect Barack Obama
For The Washington Times

On the day of the first inauguration to take place in this city, a small band of citizens gathered to watch Thomas Jefferson assume office. Our young and fragile democracy had barely finished a long and contentious election that tested our founding ideals, and there were those who feared our union might not endure.

It was a perilous moment. But Jefferson announced that while we may differ in opinion, we all share the same principles. "Let us, then, fellow citizens, unite with one heart and one mind," he said, urging those assembled to begin anew the work of building a nation.

In the more than two centuries since, inaugurations have taken place during times of war and peace, depression and prosperity. Beneath the unfinished dome of the Capitol, a young lawyer from Illinois swore an oath to defend the Constitution a divided nation threatened to tear apart. In an era of unprecedented crisis, an optimistic New Yorker refused to allow us to succumb to fear. In a time of great change, a young man from Massachusetts convinced us to think anew with regard to serving our fellow man.

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Editor’s note: Tom Houck was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s personal driver. He shares his thoughts with the 360blog about working with the King family, Driving Dr. King, and hearing the news of his death…

Tom Houck, personal driver for Dr. Martin Luther King, shares his thoughts with the 360blog on the 40th anniversary of Dr. King's assassination; Recounting driving Dr. King around town, and how she found out about his death. Watch an in-depth interview with Tom.

I became a fixture in the King household. I was usually there six days a week, starting with ferrying the kids to school. At midday, I might go over to the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, SCLC, but I was always on call for Martin and Coretta whenever they needed me. I had a place at the table, for dinner with the family. I think I was the only chauffeur in the country afforded the luxury of lunch and dinner with their employer.

Dr. King’s hours with the family were at a premium. Every body wanted a piece of his time. He traveled constantly and was always in demand to make appearances across the country.

Our airport runs became more frequent. Whenever we drove back into town, there were three things Dr King always wanted. One was a pork chop sandwich from BB Beamon’s or Henry’s Grill on Auburn – neither of which are still around. He’d also crave a rib sandwich from Aleck’s BBQ Heaven on Hunter Street, which is now MLK Drive. Dr. King was a night person, often up until three or four in the morning, so he’d eat late whenever he could.

Third, he’d buy a pack of cigarettes. Like most smokers, Dr. King was forever trying to quit. Coretta thought Martin had stopped lighting up, until the day she found a pack of his favorite Salems in his coat pocket. He blamed the cigarettes on me. Naturally I agreed, even though Coretta knew I didn’t smoke at the time. From then on, he’d give me his cigarettes before we drove up to the house; but the next morning, he would always ask for them back...

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