America Is Great

I was watching John McCain attack Barack for saying Iowa vindicated his faith in America. McCain said, "I've never had to have my faith in America vindicated!" and the crowd went wild. And, of course, you remember the hubbub over Michelle Obama's statements about being "really proud" of her country and Cindy McCain saying, "I've always been proud of my country."

I'll tell you when I love my country most. When I read about people like Amanda Jones.

109 years old, Jones is the daughter of slaves. Her father herded sheep as a slave until he was freed when he was 12. Jones says her father always encouraged her to exercise her right to vote, even though women didn't get the right to vote until Jones was 21. Poll taxes and other racially and economically discriminatory practices made voting difficult. That she is able, for the first time, to vote for a Black presidential nominee for free fills her with joy, Jones told the Austin American-Statesmen.

What John and Cindy don't understand is that America has not always been easy to love. Our nation deceived itself from the start. When you're the son of admirals and the daughter of millionaires, class and money protect you from that deception and you have the thin love of knee-jerk jingoism. But believing in what this country stands for and forcing it to see the gap between its ideals and its reality--well, that's thick love and bone-deep patriotism. And like Toni Morrison said, "Thin love ain't love at all."