Because no one has a prayer of being elected President if she or he bad-mouths the country. Sorry, but them's the rules. It's probably the same in any country, by the way; who ever won an election in any country by knocking it?
Of course, U.S.-ans are especially obnoxious about this patriotism thing, but that's just the way we are, and have been since we pushed King George's redcoats out. We just have to hold our noses every election season and get through all the bullshit somehow.
Jon Johanning // jjohanning at igc.org __________________________________ A gentleman haranguing on the perfection of our law, and that it was equally open to the poor and the rich, was answered by another, 'So is the London Tavern.' -- "Tom Paine's Jests..." (1794); also attr. to John Horne Tooke (1736-1812) by Hazlitt