What could be more American

There is a fabulous segment of the speech President Obama gave at the 50th Anniversary of the march over the Edmund Pettis Bridge that I think, finally, nearly perfectly captures our progressive ideal of patriotism.
It resonates with me and I suspect it will with you.  While I don't think it will make even a tiny dent in the viewpoint of those who have no ear for reality and honesty, I think in the long run this will go down as one of the most important phrases in our discourse.
If you haven't seen this yet, here it is:

“[W]hat could be more American than what happened in this place? What could more profoundly vindicate the idea of America than plain and humble people – unsung, the downtrodden, the dreamers not of high station, not born to wealth or privilege, not of one religious tradition but many, coming together to shape their country’s course?

 

“What greater expression of faith in the American experiment than this, what greater form of patriotism is there than the belief that America is not yet finished, that we are strong enough to be self-critical, that each successive generation can look upon our imperfections and decide that it is in our power to remake this nation to more closely align with our highest ideals?”

 

So while they claim to be more patriotic with their bigger flags and bullying bravado, we will continue to move ahead.  They always have seemingly won the present but the march of progress has nonetheless move progressively forward, sometimes faster than other times but still forward.