Commerce has changed the ethics of citizenship and the incentives for national service. America now buys private contractors - we used to call them mercenaries - to do the country's fighting.

There's intense national feeling in America that could be called patriotism.

America is my country and Paris is my hometown.

This is what our country is all about. Everybody is proud of their American citizenship and they want to do the best they can to represent that.

I am fighting to revive faith, not just in the Liberal party, but in politics itself. I'm a devoted Liberal, I've been one all my life. That's why I'm in the fight to renew the party I love. All my life has been inspired by Canada, and now it's my turn to try and inspire my fellow Canadians.

I'd be wary of writing this country off. There are some scary and ugly things about it, but it remains a turbulently, explosively innovative place.