Tony Blair declares he's had a love affair! Not what you think, perhaps. Not with a woman. The object of his affection: the United States. In this simple declaration, he's become my hero. What America needs -- and has always needed -- are non-American ambassadors whose understanding can bridge misunderstandings and dispel outright disdain. Someone who just plain "gets" us.
Let me explain something: I am married to a naturalized American citizen who, too, has found that the beauty of this country lies not in its sameness but in its diversity. We talk about it a lot. His family in Greece doesn't "get" us. There is no "one" America. There is no sameness. That this is not a cultural wasteland, a breeding ground for "ugly" Americans. The commonalities we have that bind us together lie not in being "American" but in our tolerance of others' beliefs, in our ability to argue and in our inherent naivete. In our love of search and quest. By and large, Americans still believe that anyone can achieve, can overcome, can succeed. It's the foundation upon which our society was built and continues to grow. And it's still the only place on Earth where that is so.
The times I have lived outside the United States have been the moments I have felt most patriotic, having to defend the actions of my Presidents and Congress, my fellow citizens, good and bad, who certainly have faltered, flawed and fumbled. We have not always been the best ambassadors for our cause. Having to dispel the myth of the "ugly" American, the "gringo, the cultural wasteland is an every-day occurrence for those living outside.
I would like to see the Tony Blair, Bill Clinton, George Bush show. There's no question it will make you laugh, make you think, may even make you cry. But above all, it will confirm that we are a force to be reckoned with.
I think this book needs to be a must-read for our generation, around the world.
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