America IS great because America IS good...

I looked up to find the date of the Tocqueville quote. There is controversy as to who said it, the summary of which follows:
"In 1831, twenty-five year-old Alexis de Tocqueville and Gustave de Beaumont were sent by the French government to study the American prison system." They studied other things, too, and wrote a book about their findings.
"The primary focus of [this book] Democracy in America is an analysis of why republican representative democracy has succeeded in the United States while failing in so many other places..."
In 1953, "in an Eisenhower campaign speech. Ike, however, attributed it not directly to Tocqueville but to 'a wise philosopher [who] came to this country ....' "
"Whatever its origin, the passage found its way into circulation. President Reagan used it in a 1982 speech, though his speechwriter hedged by attributing it to Eisenhower's quotation of Tocqueville. Two years later, Reagan declared that Tocqueville is said to have observed that 'America is great because America is good.'"
Whoever said it, we believe it to be true!