"[F]or the first time in my adult life I am proud of my country..." —Michelle Obama
Ok, everyone's heard the quote. The rebuttals almost write themselves.
People need to take a step back, and understand the spirit in which Michelle's statement was intended. It was no more than an attempt to connect with her audience. It must be understood that speaking dismissively of America is a bonding ritual among liberals. Nothing says to a liberal audience, "I'm one of you," more than expressions of disdain for America.
When reading Michelle’s statement in the cold, impersonal medium of print, it's easy to miss it’s meaning, and mistake it as a gratuitous slap at America. That's not what it was at all. She was just working the crowd, getting them fired up to rally behind Team Obama.
Her husband tried to spin her statement, for the sake of damage control, explaining, "What she meant was, this is the first time that she's been proud of the politics of America." Of course that came off sounding lame, because Michelle was talking about America in general, not about American politics.
What her husband should have said, but couldn't, is: "Lighten up, people. My wife didn’t mean anything by it. Of course she's been proud of America—every time liberalism has triumphed. But you must understand, she had to say that she was never proud of America: In the circles we travel, that’s just how you roll.”