 The petition garnered 10,000 signatures in its first day and nearly 20,000 by the end of its first week.Nobel laureate and former U.S. Vice President Al Gore called the award "extremely well deserved".Obama received congratulations and kind words from other elected officials, such as from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and former rival, Senator John McCain, who said, "As Americans, we're proud when our president receives an award of that prestigious category".