I've flown across America I've scaled fences I've stood under windows and gone out of my way hundreds of times. I'm a hopeless romantic. There's no hope for me.

My hope is that 10 years from now after I've been across the street at work for a while they'll all be glad they gave me that wonderful vote.

For me Barack Obama's election was a milestone of the most extraordinary kind. On the day he was elected I felt such hope in my heart. I thought we were seeing the beginning of a new era of equal opportunity across race and gender such as America had never known before.

Hundreds of thousands of American servicemen and women are deployed across the world in the war on terror. By bringing hope to the oppressed and delivering justice to the violent they are making America more secure.

Oh stuff the critics. I don't care. Too many people are snooty about classical. Look I wasn't brought up in a home where we listened to classical music. It was a singing teacher that thought it would be best for my voice. Then I moved into crossover. And if that makes the music accessible to more people then great.

But let me tell you this gender thing is history. You're looking at a guy who sat down with Margaret Thatcher across the table and talked about serious issues.

If I were beginning my career today I don't think I would take the same direction. Television is at a crossroads at the moment. And although I am not up to date technologically I suspect that somewhere out there people are conveying things about natural history by means other than television and I think if I were beginning today I'd be there.

When the rose and the cross are united the alchemical marriage is complete and the drama ends. Then we wake from history and enter eternity.

I know that many of you do wear such a cross of Christ not in any ostentatious way not in a way that might harm you at your work or recreation but a simple indication that you value the role of Jesus Christ in the history of the world that you are trying to live by Christ's standards in your own daily life.

If one morning I walked on top of the water across the Potomac River the headline that afternoon would read: 'President Can't Swim.'