Area lawmakers weigh in on Obama's Nobel Prize

This brief was published in the MetroWest Daily News print version on 10/10/09. It was not published to the paper's website.

BOSTON - Two area Democratic lawmakers say the award of the Nobel Peace Prize to President Obama is an impressive honor that speaks to the president's potential and the dramatic shift in world opinion of the United States.

“It shows that the president is fully committed to pursuing peace and diplomacy while helping to unite the world in an effort to combat its major problems," said Rep. Alice Peisch, D-Wellesley, when she was contacted by the MetroWest Daily News. "It also speaks to how the president has successfully worked to improve the image of the United States abroad.”

Rep. Pam Richardson, D-Framingham, who was also contacted by the MetroWest Daily News said the greater significance of the award may be that the world has recognized the shift in American foreign policy under the new administration.

“It signifies that the United States is now viewed as a nation in the forefront of international diplomacy and that Obama’s administration is committed to solving complex global problems such as freeing the world of nuclear weapons,” she said.

MetroWest Daily News attempted unsuccessfully to contact nearly a dozen other local legislators including Sen. Scott Brown, R-Wrentham, who is running for U.S. Senate, and the assistant minority leader, Rep. George Peterson, R-Grafton.