"Life's a Journey, Not a Destination...": An Evening with Tony Blair

On April 22nd I had the distinct pleasure of attending an engagement presented by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs in which the Right Honorable Tony Blair delivered a speech entitled "Faith and Globalization." The former British Prime Minister was introduced by none other than Chicago's own knee-cap specialist extraordinaire, the Honorable Richard M. Daley. It was the first time that I have seen both men in person-- Mr. Blair's speech was one of the best I have heard in a long time, while Dick, well, was his usual fumbling self. Mr, Blair is truly ahead of his time in his dealings with foreign countries to try to bring the world together and to respect each other's differences.

I found Mr. Blair, Tony, if you will, to be jovial, polite, and extremely funny, courteous and well-spoken. Quite honestly, his insight and thoughtfulness were very refreshing, given the political black eye that Illinois has given itself during the past decade or longer. While Tony isn't nearly as popular on the other side of the pond as he is here-- maybe his foreign accent helps-- I find him to be charming and on top of, what I believe to be, some of the biggest obstacles facing the world today. Had his speech been given in the 1960's, I believe Tony Blair probably would have given JFK a run for his money in the world popularity contest.

Here is a link to his audio and written speech. Notice Tony's remark to Tricky Dick about his political stronghold on the city-- classic!