abaya

That's a good summary of my feelings as well. I don't think there's anything wrong with being a critical American. Ktspktsp used to call me a self-hating American, which I think I was for several years in my 20s after initially living in Iceland and having all international friends. Bush has been in office since that time, which had a huge impact on my perspective.

Then I spent a few years in rural Pennsylvania, and came back to Iceland for the last 18 months (Icelanders also believes that their country is truly the best in the world, in every category--and it even has the "awards" to prove it), and I began to reconcile myself with being an American. I knew that I would always be on the outside of Icelandic society precisely because I had been raised elsewhere, and I had to figure out what exactly about America I carried within myself, without disowning it.

Now, I think I can say that I don't hate it anymore, and I will never love it unconditionally, but I do feel some sense of attachment and pride to it along with the same kind of frustration mentioned by shesus. I never want to be a fervent patriot of any country, really (I currently have two citizenships, may add more in the future)--too dangerous. The health of a nation depends on the ability of its citizens to discern truth from among the cliches, and to hold their administration accountable to those truths.

__________________
And think not you can direct the course of Love;
for Love, if it finds you worthy, directs your course.
--Khalil Gibran