I'm merely pointing out that your use of the word "finally" was a qualifier that indicated a less-than-favorable view of our history.   Had a negative view of the US and our history not been so integral to your point of view, you would merely have stated that "we liberated slaves" -- and that would have been a positive view of our country.

But because the last thing a liberal seems capable of doing (and this is reflected in at least two of the articles to which bb linked, and this thread is about) is to speak positively about our country. Without qualifiers.

And I am echoing the points made by the articles -- that that is not a very successful way to win the hearts and minds of your fellow Americans -- especially when, when it comes right down to it, they don't all accept, in reality, the negative, US-is-always-wrong point of view that the liberal always chooses to present in theory.

It is the nature of "Progressives" -- especially when they see the political advantage of banding together -- to always be pointing out what needs to be changed. Sometimes things need to be changed. No doubt about it. And each progressive special interest group could be expressing it's displeasure with some aspect of the US without denigrating every aspect of the US.

But in reality, since, for political reasons, many (if not most) progressive special interest groups have pooled together for their voting and political power, there is nothing left about America that this collective of progressives can praise. Every single aspect of American life is one progressive special interest group or another progressive special interest group's pet political project. Collectively, for political purposes, there is, therefore, almost NOTHING about America that the political progressives like.

And as one of those articles to which bb linked pointed out -- it has become knee-jerk to stand in solidarity with other progressives -- against any possibility that an opposing side may score a political point -- that liberals will now even choose to stand against their own core beliefs in order to defeat a conservative who might actually be standing for that core belief.

A good example of that political whip-lash was the National Organization of Women's AMAZING rhetorical turn-around between the time of Clarence Thomas' confirmation hearings and the Clinton/Lewinsky scandal.

And then, sadly, the things that "progressives" DO seem to like about America are strangely twisted. For instance, the progressives seem to dearly love the first amendment to our constitution -- the "free speech part (I dearly love it as well). But they proudly tie themselves to such vile, immoral issues and people as the Larry Flynts of the world, as though somehow making the world safe for sado-masochistic pornography is a lofty goal.