Citizen of the World & an American Citizen
Nov 1, 2007 — -- TED KOPPEL: Peter was enormously proud of working in the United States. Loved the American dream. Loved the American legal system. Loved the Constitution and everything that underlies the American system. He was tremendously grateful for the opportunities that he had been given here in the United States. But at the same time, he was very proud of having been born in Canada. Loved Canada. Loved the Canadian people. And he felt it would somehow be disloyal to Canada if he gave up his Canadian citizenship and became a U.S. citizen.
CHARLIE GIBSON: I never had any doubt that eventually he would do it. Maybe it was to honor his Canadian parents that he kept his Canadian citizenship solely for so long. But then I think after 9/11 he felt that it would be wrong not to express the bond that he felt with this country for having gone through what it did.
GRETCHEN BABAROVIC: I think he kept it private because he did not want people to think that he was using his citizenship for any other reason than that he was proud to be an American, that he felt that he wanted to become an American citizen, that he had fallen in love with his adopted country, and that he truly respected her. He didn't want people to think there were any ulterior motives.
JON BANNER: He was like a kid in a candy shop. He was so giddy over the idea of being able to vote in his first presidential election. He was so excited to go serve on a jury. I mean, his passion for everything extended to the passion that he became an American citizen. It was just unbelievable
CONDOLEEZZA RICE: I think he enjoyed the cacophony of America. America is big and complicated and noisy and difficult. Nothing about America is tidy. I suspect that he wanted to be part of that untidiness. Canada is a wonderful place, but it's a smaller and more homogeneous population. There's something about America that is complicated. You either like its complications and its cacophony or you find it overwhelming. And Peter liked its cacophony. He liked its complications.
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