Obama Nobel Controversy: Most Jury Members Initially Argued Against Obama, Says Report

Today, news broke that many on the Nobel Peace panel had initially balked at President Obama's nomination.

The apparent leak, reported by Norway's top-selling daily Verdens Gang, has been covered by many other news outlets, including Reuters. It alleges that three out of five on the panel objected to Obama's nomination, before being persuaded by former Prime Minister Thorbjoern Jagland.

The revelations are only likely to further the debate over whether Obama should have received the award.

Earlier today, former President and previous Nobel Peace winner Jimmy Carter came to Obama's defense. AP reported:

"Obama deserves it as much as anyone who's ever gotten it for his achievement already," Carter, who won the prize himself in 2002, told The Associated Press in an interview. "He's transformed the image of America around the world, he's stopped the practice of torture, he's called for and taken leadership in doing away with nuclear weapons."

Carter went on to say that Obama's aspirations and what he may come to do also showed he deserved the prize.

HuffPost bloggers have been following the story as well.

Some were critical. Robert Reich, former Secretory of Labor, wrote "Why Obama Should Not Have Received the Peace Prize -- Yet"

Whilst others, such as Andy Ostry, political analyst and guest on MSNBC's Hardball with Chris Matthews, came out in the support of the President, with posts like Ostry's "Why Obama's Nobel Peace Prize Is Deserved".

To check out other reactions from around the web and our own bloggers, check out the Nobel Prize Big News Page.