Many people don't truly appreciate America until they visit one or more cesspools otherwise known as "foreign countries". McCain's experience is not unique. It is not a function of contempt for America nor does it imply that any existed prior to his revelation. At worst he was neutral on the topic prior to his experience. At worst one can charge him with youthful ignorance, but be wary of casting the first stone.

I had fun in Portugal, Italy, Spain, St. Thomas, St. Croix, Freeport and Nassau Bahamas, Puerto Rico, Bermuda, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Mexico, Canada, and even got a nice tan in Djibouti (a hell of an accomplishment for a redhead). Fun aside, none of those places even remotely holds a candle to my country and its great experiment. The more I travel, the more I love my country. Since potential love is infinite, I expect this trend to continue.

As for Mrs. Alsoran's comment(s), they definitely imply an actual disgust with the country. Forget about the silliness and apparent selfishness of the comments (all the various civil rights gains made by our free society didn't mean shit until her hubby had a shot at the POTUS?)...the truth is she was likely possessing a similar mindset as the venerable Reverend Wright. I am being generous in assuming the "was" part in the latter statement. Maybe she has arrived at the right conclusion, even if for the wrong reasons. Might be worth applauding her progress. We'll see how she behaves when her man gets spanked in the general election and to what she attributes his forthcoming defeat. Will she love the only country in the world that would even give people like him and Condi Rice a shot at leadership, or will she start channeling Farrakhan again? Wait and see. That will be the true measure.

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"Compassionate Conservatism"?!?! That is a stupid phrase. Conservatism is inherently compassionate. It is liberalism that is cruel for the sake of maintaining a constituency.