Stephen Miller: “I rise today to offer thanks and praise for a world leader who has been as stalwart and as loyal an ally for the United…”

“I rise today to offer thanks and praise for a world leader who has been as stalwart and as loyal an ally for the United States as anyone could ever ask. These past few weeks, British Prime Minister Tony Blair has gone above and beyond the call of duty for America. He has left no doubt that we will be able to count on him and his country over the long haul. To paraphrase his own words, he was with us at the first and he will stay with us to the last. He was there in the gallery of the House of Representatives when President Bush made his moving and forceful speech to this Nation in a joint session of this Congress. He was there at Ground Zero in New York City, witnessing the destruction with his own eyes and mourning what he called 'the slaughter of thousands of innocents.' He was there in Pakistan, near the dangerous heart of this war, reassuring a nervous Pakistani President that he made the right decision in choosing the United States over the Taliban regime. Since September 11, Tony Blair has served valiantly as our voluntary ambassador to the world.”