Blair: "America Has Its Faults, But It Is a Free Country"

British Prime Minister Tony Blair said this about America: "I think of the union of America born out of the defeat of slavery. I think of its constitution, with all its inalienable rights granted to every citizen, still a model for the world. I think of a black man, born in poverty, who became chief of their armed forces and is now Secretary of State Colin Powell. And I wonder, frankly, whether such a thing could have happened here. I think of the Statue of Liberty and how many refugees, migrants and the impoverished passed its light and felt that, if not for them, for their children, a new world could indeed be theirs. I think of a country where people who do well don't have questions asked about their accent, their class, their beginnings, but have admiration for what they have done and the success they've achieved. I think of those New Yorkers I met, still in shock, but resolute; the fire fighters and police, mourning their comrades but still head held high. I think of all that and reflect: yes, America has its faults, but it is a free country, a democracy, it is our ally and some of the reaction to 11 September betrays a hatred for America that shames those that feel it." Tony Blair, that's nice.