Department of Flag-Waving

I suspect that this sort of polling is really meaningless. But, still, it’s enough to make one despair. Ben Smith reports that a poll:

commissioned by the Democratic-leaning True Patriot Network, found that 74% of Americans say McCain is patriotic, and that just 56% say the same of Obama.

Of course, when they say “patriotic” I suspect they really mean “nationalist”, even if it’s the case that many Americans don’t actually see the difference between the terms. One scarce dare think upon what grounds these voters deny the “patriotism” (in the true sense of the term) of either candidate, nor why this love of country must, apparently,  be something to be affirmed rather than merely presumed…