And James Taranto follows up with these cogent thoughts (as Les Jones so helpfully pointed out:
Punitive liberals are often defensive about their patriotism--understandably enough, since their relentless complaining about America often is hard to distinguish from out-and-out anti-Americanism. Their defense is that "true" patriotism consists in acknowledging your own country's faults and exhorting it to improve.Hmmm. This reminds me of the way some of the media, the anti-war and the anti-Bush love and support our troops. They repeatedly criticize the war, ignoring all positive news. When forced to acknowledge the heroism of our troops they cannot resist the urge to turn praise into criticism. They are Psychological Troop Abusers. Well, if you are a Punitive Liberal or a Psychological Troop Abuser do us all a favor. Take "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all" as your personal motto. Then either become a Positive Liberal and a Positive Troop Supporter or be quiet.
Well, maybe. Certainly there's nothing unpatriotic about criticizing your government or its policies. And since love of country is a matter of the heart, it's presumptuous to question anyone's patriotism. But imagine a man who treats his wife the way the punitive liberals treat America: constantly belittling her, pointing out her faults and never showing her any kindness. He may love her, but most people would agree he has a twisted way of expressing it.
