Earlier this afternoon, I wrote a little bit about George W. Bush, and how the Left, and much of the Right, hated his appeals to freedom and democracy. I think of one of my favorite stories — the star of which is Tony Blair. It was exactly this time of year, in 2005. Bush had just given his second inaugural address. Here is some of what he had to say:

We will persistently clarify the choice before every ruler and every nation: the moral choice between oppression, which is always wrong, and freedom, which is eternally right. America will not pretend that jailed dissidents prefer their chains, or that women welcome humiliation and servitude, or that any human being aspires to live at the mercy of bullies. . . .
We do not accept the existence of permanent tyranny because we do not accept the possibility of permanent slavery. . . .
All who live in tyranny and hopelessness can know: The United States will not ignore your oppression, or excuse your oppressors. When you stand for your liberty, we will stand with you. Democratic reformers facing repression, prison, or exile can know: America sees you for who you are: the future leaders of your free country.

Okay. The Left went ape after this speech, of course. (And many conservatives said it was pie-in-the-sky “Wilsonianism,” etc.) Blair comes to Davos, and, facing an auditoriumful of “progressives,” he remarks that Bush’s speech was taken as “evidence of the ‘neoconservative’ grip on Washington.” But “I thought progressives were all in favor of freedom over tyranny.”

That was one of the best things I ever heard. Took some stones, too.