on "America is the Greatest Country" declarations by politicians

[acroyear]

America, Fuck Yeah! (All Together Now) - The Daily Dish | By Andrew Sullivan:

When Marco Rubio lauds the USA, we roll our eyes because we have not had our skepticism of politicians surgically removed: we understand that politicians pin on flag lapels and talk about the greatness of America because they're calculating pols, not because they think more highly of the United States than the rest of us. Our eyes tend to roll when politicians kiss babies too. That isn't because we object to the notion that babies are lovable - merely because most politicians aren't.

Lowry and Sullivan on American Chauvinism : Dispatches from the Culture Wars:

But I don't think Sullivan goes nearly far enough. The "America is the greatest nation ever" meme is not just a fatuous platitude, it's a dangerous bit of demagoguery designed to end discussion of the nation's many merits and flaws. It's a club used to beat anyone who questions the motives or actions of our leaders -- whenever the person wielding that club agrees with those motives or actions, of course; if they disagree with them, that's totally different.