I know this is a bit philosophical at a critical juncture of the election, but I had to get this off my chest, because I actually think this is relevant to the flames Sarah Palin is trying to fan when she speaks of "Barack Obama is someone who views America as imperfect ..." and tries to contrast it with her notion of a Perfect America serving as the shining city on a hill.

This notion of perfection and American infallibility is one of the most dangerous, misguided notions out there and it is to our serious detriment as Americans. In truth, it is a tool of oppression that has been used by radical dictatorial regimes in the past and is now being used by the right wing politicians in the present in America. It is an oppressive tool that equates and conflates this ridiculous and demonstrably false notion of perfection with Patriotism and then tries to bully, ostracize, and suppress anyone that dares question this thinking or the policies of America's leaders as unpatriotic. In this world, everything is simplified and painted in a "you're with us or against us" or "good guys v. bad guys" picture. If you question or assign fault to anything that the country has done or any policy that the country has implemented, you're being unpatriotic, emboldening enemies, and questioning America.

This is the kind of radical notion that oppresses critical thinking and progress, that enables, rationalizes and tacitly approves misguided or unjustified wars, hideous acts of torture, abandonment of communal or global principles and treaties. It's all done under the self-serving guise that it's ok because it's in our immediate national interests; that it's ok because we know what's right and wrong and when we can tell when we can't afford to abide by old norms in times of crisis; and that ultimately we shouldn't question it or worry because America is doing it - and that because we all know and agree that a America is a great country - we should know that it wouldn't anything wrong or do something "seemingly wrong" unless it was absolutely necessary.

We've seen this playbook followed to script in the Bush/Cheney years. Anyone that questioned the start or the conduct of the Iraq war, American policies of torture and rendition, American abandonment of global treaties, etc. was branded and demonized as unpatriotic, defeatist, and as emboldening the enemies/ terrorists. We're seeing this playbook again with McCain and Palin. McCain uses much of it in his discussion of foreign policy and Palin's entire worldview can be summed up by this theory (I wish I was kidding - listen to her speeches). She uses it in all her rhetoric.

Once you take a step back - the danger of this is and should be clear. Not only does it polarize and divide Americans, but it antagonizes, incites violence, and suppresses rational critical thinking that would lead to better discourse and informed judgments.

But most importantly - it is the exact opposite of patriotism and the foundations of America which we all love. To be patriotic is to love one's country - not to view it as perfect. To be patriotic is to always strive for ways to make America an even better country, even if that means voicing dissent. The key to patriotism is upward, forward and organic. It is to commit yourself to loving and supporting your country and working toward that cause if it's being derailed. Not to abandon it, criticize it (without action) or to blindly and uncritically adhere to what is currently happening.

Bush, Cheney, McCain and Palin have it exactly wrong. America is not perfect in practice, and history has boundless examples of things we've done wrong - whether it be slavery, torture, camps in WWII, female suppression, etc. But the beauty and the perfection in America lies in that its democratic structure and its ideals of free speech enable us to question our policies, denounce bad practices, and ultimately change direction toward a more perfect democratic union.

Don't you see - that's why the constitution has checks and balances, freedom of speech and the free press; that's why it allows for impeachment and an amendment process; that's why we have elections. It is to enable us to constantly strive for perfection and betterment. It is to allow us to have discourse, dissent and critical thinking.

This is one of the things I most love about Obama's speeches. He gets the beauty of America. he understands what our founders understood when they set out to create a governmental structure that would help us "form a more perfect union". As he said in the historic speech about race or in his acceptance speech (really worth the read:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/03/18/obama-race-speech-read-t_n_92077.html-

it's not that we're perfect, it's that we love this country and its ideals so that we can realize and overcome our imperfections and continuously strive for a more perfect union. That's the kind of leader he wants to be. That's the kind of leader that allows for diverse viewpoints to inform his judgment. That's the kind of leader that won't make rash impulsive decisions. That's the kind of leader that transcends bitter political divides and brings people together. That's the kind of leader that has his eyes on the actual prize - the betterment of America as opposed to tending to self-serving immediate goals, seeing himself as an elected leader obligated only to reward those who voted for him, or his lobbyists, or the military industrial complex. That's the kind of leader that understands we can only serve as that shining city on a hill, not by blindly calling ourselves infallible and plowing ahead with policies determined to unilaterally expand our power, but by setting an example that understands and respects humanity for all its components - its fallible and delicate nature, its good intentions, and its desire for finding a way to prosper amidst a peaceful existence. In short, America recognized the desire and embodied the ability to organize civilized institutions that would and could be greater than the sum of our parts and would enable us to recognize, overcome and transcend our own faults and prejudices and our collective mistakes to better ourselves as a society.

Now - that is patriotism.